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THE  LIBRARY 
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THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


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DUE    NORTH 


GLIMPSES  OF  SCANDINAVIA  AND   RUSSIA 


DUE  NORTH 


GLIMPSES   OF   SCANDINAVIA  AND 
RUSSIA 


MATURIN    M.  BALLOU 

AUTHOR   OF    "edge-tools   OF   SPEECH,"    "  DUE   SOUTH;    OR,   CUBA,    PAST   AND 
PRESENT,"    '"GENIUS    IN    SUNSHINE   AND   SHADOW,"    ETC. 


Only  that  travellins;  is  good  which  reveals  to  me  the  value  of  home,  and 
enables  me  to  enjoy  it  better.  —  Thoreau. 


BOSTON    AND    NEW    YORK 

HOUGHTON,  MTFFLTN   AND    COMPANY 

(3tt)e  llitjersiDe  Press,  «JEamlriDae 

1898 


Copyright,  1887, 
By   Maturin   M.  Ballou. 


A  U  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  CatTtbridge,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 
Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Company. 


PREFACE. 


About  five  years  ago,  the  Author,  having  then 
just  returned  from  circumnavigating  the  globe,  was 
induced  to  record  his  experiences  of  the  long  journey, 
which  were  published  in  a  volume  entitled  "Due 
West ;  or.  Round  the  World  in  Ten  Months."  The 
public  favor  accorded  to  this  work  led,  a  couple  of 
years  later,  to  the  issuing  of  a  second  volume  of 
travels,  upon  the  Author's  return  from  the  West  Indies, 
entitled  "Due  South;  or,  Cuba,  Past  and  Present." 
The  popular  success  of  both  books  and  the  flattering 
comments  of  the  critics  have  caused  the  undersigned 
to  believe  that  a  certain  portion  of  the  public  is 
pleased  to  see  foreign  lands  and  people  through  his 
eyes ;  and  hence  the  publication  of  the  volume  now  in 
hand.  These  pages  describing  the  far  North,  from 
which  the  Author  has  just  returned,  —  including 
Norway,  Sweden,  Russia,  and  Russian  Poland, —  seem 
naturally  to  suggest  the  title  of  "  Due  North."     With- 


ivi317945 


vi  PREFACE. 

out  permitting  prejudice  to  circumscribe  judgment  in 
treating  of  Russia,  the  effort  has  been  to  represent 
the  condition  of  that  country  and  its  Polish  province 
truthfully,  and  to  draw  only  reasonable  deductions. 
This  special  reference  is  made  to  the  pages  relating 
to  the  Tzar's  government,  as  it  will  be  found  that  the 
Author  does  not  accord  with  the  popularly  expressed 
opinion  upon  this  subject. 

M.  M.  B. 

Boston,  March,  1887. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Page 

Copenhagen.  —  First  Stroll  in  a  Strange  City.  — Danish  Children. 

—  Antiquity  of  Copenhagen.  —  English  Arrogance.  —  The 
Baltic  Sea.  —  Danish  Possessions.  —  Descendants  of  the 
Vikings.  —  Covetous  Germany.  —  The  Denmark  of  To-day.  — 
Thorwaldsen's  Remarkable  Museum.  —  The  Ethnological 
Museum.  —  Educational  Matters.  —  Eminent  Natives.  —  Char- 
itable Institutions.  —  Antique  Churches.  —  Royal  Palaces.  — 
Historical  Memories.  —  City  Architecture.  —  Zoological  Gar- 
dens   1-23 

CHAPTER  IL 

Public  Amusements  in  Copenhagen.  — Danish  Sovereigns.  — The 
Fashionable  Promenade.  —  Danish  Women.  —  Palace  of  Rosen- 
borg. —  A  Golconda  of  Gems.  —  A  Poet's  Monument.  —  A 
Famous  Astronomer.  —  Our  Lady's  Church.  —  The  King's 
Square.  —  The  Curious  Old  Round  Tower.  —  The  Peasantry. 

—  A  Famous  Deer  Park. —  Roskilde.  —  Elsinore.  —  Gypsies. — 
Kronborg  Castle.  —  The  Queen's  Prison.  —  Hamlet  and  Ophe- 
lia's Grave.  —  A  Danish  Legend 24-40 

CHAPTER   IIT. 

Gottenburg.  —  Ruins  of  Elfsborg.  —  Gustavus  Adolphus.  —  A 
Wrecked  Monument.  —  The  Girdle-Duellists.  —  Emigration  to 
America.  —  Public  and  Private  Gardens.  —  A  Kindly  People. 

—  The  Gotha  Canal.  —  Falls  of  TroUhiitta.  —  Dainty  Wild- 
Flowers. —  Water- Ways.  — Stockholm  and  Lake  Maelaren. — 
Prehistoric  Tokens.  —  Iron  Mines  of  Sweden.  —  Pleasing  Epi- 
sode with  Children.  —  The  Liquor  Traffic  Systematized.  —  A 
Great  Practical  Charity.  —  A  Domestic  Habit 41-5i3 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


Page 


Capital  of  Norway.  —  A  Grand  Fjord.  —  A  Free  and  Independent 
State. —The  Legal  Code.  —  Royal  Palace  and  Gardens.— 
Oscar's  Hall,  —  The  University.  —  Public  Amusements.  — 
The  Ice  Trade.  — Ancient  Viking  Ships.  —Heathen  Tombs. 

—  An  Interesting  Hostelry.—  A  Steam  Kitchen.—  Environs  of 
Christiania.—  Horses  and  their  Treatment.  —  Harvest  Time. 

—  AVomen's  Work.  —  The  Saeter.  —  A  Remarkable  Lake.  — 
Wild  Birds.—  Inland  Travel.—  Scandinavian  Wild  Flowers.— 
Lonely  Habitations.  —  A  Land  of  Alpine  Heights      .     .     .     57-85 

CHAPTEE  V. 

Ancient  Capital  of  Norway.  —  Routes  of  Travel.  —  Rain  !  — 
Peasant  Costumes.  —  Commerce  of  Bergen.  —  Shark's  vs.  Cod 
Liver  Oil.  —  Ship-Building.  —  Public  Edifices.  —  Quaint 
Shops.  —  Borgund  Church.  —  Leprosy  in  Norway.  —  Sport- 
ing Country.  —  Inland  Experiences.  —  Hay-Making.  —  Pine- 
Forest  Experiences.  —  National  Constitution.  —  People's 
Schools.  —  Girls'  Industrial  School.  —  Celebrated  Citizens  of 
Bergen.  —  Two  .Grand  Norwegian  Fjords.  —  Remarkable 
Glaciers 86-101 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Ancient  and  Modern  Trondlijem.  —  Runic  Inscriptions.  —  A 
Famous  Old  Cathedral.  —  Local  Characteristics.  —  Romantic 
Story  of  King  Olaf.  —  Curious  Local  Productions.  —  An  Island 
Prison.  —  Lafoss  Falls.  —  Corn  Magazines.  —  Land-owners.  — 
Wood-cutters.  —  Forests.  —  A  Tumble  Overboard.  —  A  Gen- 
uine Cockney.  —  Comparative  Length  of  Days.  —  Character- 
istics of  Boreal  Regions.  —  Arctic  AVinter  Fisheries. —The 
Ancient  Town  of  Lund  ;  the  Oxford  of  Sweden.  —  Pagan 
Times 102-115 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Along  the  Coast  of  Norway.  —  Education  at  the  Far  North.  — 
An  Interesting  Character.  —  A  Botanical  Enthusiast.  —  Re- 
markable Mountain  Tunnel.  —  A  Hard  Climb.  —  The  Seven 


CONTENTS.  ix 

Page 
Sisters.  —  Young  England.  —  An  Amateur  Photographer.  — 
Horseman's  Island.  —  Ancient  Town  of  BodiJe.  —  Arctic 
Flowers.  — The  Famous  Maelstrom.  — Illusions  !  —  The  Won- 
derful Lofoden  Islands.  —  Grand  and  Unique  Scenery.  —  Gla- 
ciers. —  Nature's  Architecture.  —  Mysterious  Effects.  —  At- 
traction for  Ai-tists  116-135 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Birds  of  the  Arctic  Kegions.  —  Effect  of  Continuous  Daylight.  — 
Town  of  Tromsoe.  —  The  Aurora  Borealis.  —  Love  of  Flowers. 

—  The  Growth  of  Trees.  —  Butterflies.  —  Home  Flowers.  — 
Trees. — Shooting  Whales  with  Cannon.  —  Prehistoric  Relics. 

—  About  Laplanders.  —  Eider  Ducks.  —  A  Norsk  Wedding 
Present.  —  Gypsies  of  the  North. — Pagan  Kites.  —  The  Use 
of  the  Reindeer.  —  Domestic  Life  of  the  Lapps.  —  Marriage 
Ceremony.  —  A  Gypsy  Queen.  —  Lapp  Babies.  —  Graceful 
Acknowledgment 136-155 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Experiences  Sailing  Northward.  — Arctic  Whaling.  — The  Feath- 
ered Tribe.  —  Caught  in  a  Trap.  —  Domestic  Xnimals.  —  The 
Marvellous  Gulf  Stream.  —  Town  of  Haramerfest.  —  Com- 
merce.—  Arctic  Mosquitoes. — The  Public  Crier.  —  Norwegian 
Marriages.  —  Peculiar  IJird  Habits.  —  A  Hint  to  Naturalists. 

—  Bird  Island.  —  A  Lonely  Habitation.  —  High  Latitude.  — 
Final  Landing  at  the  North  Cape.  —  A  Hard  Climb.  —  View 

of  the  Wonderful  Midnight  Sun 156-16S 


CHAPTER  X. 

Journey  Across  Country.  —  Capital  of  Sweden.  —  Old  and  New. 

—  Swedish  History.  —  Local  Attractions.  — King  Oscar  II.  — 
The  Roj-al  Palace.  —  The  Westminster  Abbey  of  Stockholm, 

—  A  Splendid  Deer  Park.  —  Public  Amusements.  —  The  Sab- 
bath. —  An  Official  Dude.  —  An  Awkward  Statue.  —  Swedish 
Nightingales.  —  Linnaius  and  Swedenborg.  — Dalccarlia  Girls. 

—  A  Remarkable  Group  in  Bronze.  — Rosedale  Royal  Cottage. 

—  Ancient  Oaks.  —  Upsala  and  its  SuiToundings.  —  Ancient 
Mounds  at  old  Upsala.  —  Swedenborg's  Study    ....     169-192 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Page 

The  Northern  Mediterranean.  —  Depth  of  the  Sea.  —  Where 
Amber  comes  From.  —  A  Thousand  Isles.  —  City  of  Abo.  — 
Departed  Glory.  —  Capital  of  Finland.  —  Local  Scenes.  — 
Russian  Government.  —  Finland's  Dependency.  —  Billings- 
gate. —  A  Woman  Sailor  in  an  Exigency.  —  Fortress  of  Swea- 
borg.  —  Fortifications  of  Croustadt.  —  Russia's  Great  Naval 
Station.  —  The  Emperor's  Steam  Yacht.  —  A  Sail  up  the  Neva. 

—  St.  Petersburg  in  the  Distance.  —  First  Russian  Dinner  193-205 

CHAPTER  XII. 

St.  Petersburg.  —  Churches.  —  The  Alexander  Column.  —  Prin- 
cipal Street.  —  Cathedral  of  Peter  and  Paul.  —  Nevsky  Mon- 
astery. —  Russian  Priesthood.  —  The  Canals.  —  Public  Li- 
brary. —  Cruelty  of  an  Empress.  —  Religious  Devotion  of  the 
People.  —  A  Dangerous  Locality. — Population.  —  The  Neva 
and  Lake  Ladoga.  —  The  Nicholas  Bridge.  —  Winter  Season. 

—  Begging  Nuns.  —  Nihilism.  —  Scandal  Touching  the  Em- 
peror. —  The  Fashionable  Drive.  —  St.  Isaac's  Church.  —  Rus- 
sian Bells.  —  Famous  Equestrian  Statue.  —  The  Admiralty.  — 
Architecture 206-240 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Winter  Palace.  —  The  Hermitage  and  its  Riches.  —  An  Em- 
press and  her  Fancies.  — A  Royal  Retreat.  —  Russian  Culture. 

—  Public  Library.  —  Tlie  Summer  Garden.  —  Temperature  of 
the  City.  —  Choosing  of  the  Brides.  —  Peter's  Cottage.  — 
Champ  de  Mars.  —  Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  —  School  of  Mines. 

—  Precious  Stones.  —  The  Imperial  Home  at  Peterhoff.  — 
Curious  and  Interesting  Buildings.  —  Catherine's  Oak.  —  Alex- 
ander III.  at  Parade. — Description  of  the  Royal  Family. — 
Horse-Racing.  —  The  Empress's  Companions      ....     241-26'! 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Power  of  the  Greek  Church.  —  Freeing  the  Serfs.  —  Education 
Needed.  —  Mammoth   Russia.  —  Religion   and   Superstition. 

—  Memorial    Structures.  —  Church     Fasts.  —  Theatres    and 


CONTENTS.  XI 

Page 
Public  Amusements.  —  Night  Revels.  —  A  Russian  Bazaar.  — 
Children's  Nurses  in  Costume.  —  The  one  Vehicle  of  Russia. 
—  Dress  of  the  People.  —  Fire  Brigade.  —  Red  Tape.  — 
Personal  Surveillance.  —  Passports.  —  Annoyances.  —  Spying 
Upon  Strangers.  —  The  Author's  Experience.  —  Censorship  of 
the  Press 265-279 

CHAPTER  XV. 

On  the  Road  to  Moscow.  —  Russian  Peasantry.  —  Military  Sta- 
tion Masters.  —  Peat  Fuel  for  the  War-Ships.  —  Farm  Prod- 
ucts. —  Scenery.  —  Wild-Flowers.  —  City  of  Tver.  —  Inland 
Navigation.  —  The  Great  River  Volga.  —  The  Ancient  Musco- 
vite Capital.  —  Spires  and  Minarets.  —  A  Russian  Mecca.  — 
Pictorial  Signs.  —  The  Kremlin.  —  The  Royal  Palace.  —  King 
of  Bells.—  Cathedral  of  St.  Basil. —The  Royal  Treasury.— 
Church  of  Our  Saviour.  —  Chinese  City.  —  Rag  Fair.  —  Manu- 
factures           280-305 

CHAPTER   XYI. 

Domestic  Life  in  Moscow.  —  Oriental  Seclusion  of  Women.  — 
The  Foundling  Hospital.  —  A  Christian  Charity.  —  A  Me- 
tropolitan Centre.  —  City  Museum.  —  The  University.  — 
Tea-Drinking. — Pleasure  Gardens. — Drosky  Drivers. — Riding- 
School.  —  Theatres.  —  Universal  Bribery.  —  Love  of  Country. 

—  Russians  as  Linguists.  —  Sparrow  Hill.  —  Petrofski  Park. 

—  Muscovite  Gypsies.  —  Fast  Life.  —  Litemperance.  —  A 
Famous  Monastery.  —  City  Highways.  —  Sacred  Pigeons.  — 
Beggars 306-332 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Nijni-Novgorod.  —  Hot  Weather.  —  The  River  Volga.  —  Hun- 
dreds of  Steamers.  —  Great  Annual  Fair.  —  Peculiar  Character 
of  the  Trade.  —  Motley  Collection  of  Humanity.  —  An  Army 
of  Beggars.  —  Rare  and  Precious  Stones.  —  The  Famous  Brick 
Tea.  —  A  Costly  Beverage.  —  Sanitaiy  Measures.  —  Disgrace- 
ful Dance  Halls.  —  Fatal  Beauty.  —  A  Sad  History.  —  Light- 
Fingered  Gentry.  —  Convicts.  —  Facts  about  Siberia.  —  Local 
Customs.  —  Russian  Punishment 333-352 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XYIII. 

Pass 
On  the  Eoad  to  Poland.  —  Extensive  Grain-Fields.  —  Polish  Peas- 
antry. —  A  Russian  General.  —  No  evidence  of  Oppression.  — 
"Warsaw  and  its  Surroundings.  —  Mingled  Squalor  and  Ele- 
gance. —  Monuments  of  the  City.  —  Polish  Nobility.  —  Cir- 
cassian Troops.  —  Polish  Language.  —  The  Jews  of  Warsaw. 
—  Political  Condition  of  Poland.  —  Public  Parks.  —  The  Fa- 
mous Saxony  Gardens.  —  Present  Commercial  Prosperity.  — 
Local  Sentiment.  —  Concerning  Polish  Ladies  and  Jewish 
Beauties 353-373 


DUE  NORTH; 

OB, 

GLIMPSES  OF  SCANDINAVIA  AND  RUSSIA 


CHAPTER  I. 

Copenhagen.  —  First  Stroll  in  a  Strange  City.  — Danish  Children.  — 
Antiquity  of  Copenhagen.  —  English  Arrogance.  —  The  Baltic 
Sea.  —  Danish  Possessions.  —  Descendants  of  the  Vikings.  —  Cove- 
tous Germany.  —  The  Denmark  of  To-day.  —  Thorwaldsen's  Re- 
markable Museum.  —  The  Ethnological  Museum.  —  Educational 
Matters.  —  Eminent  Natives.  — Charitable  Institutions.  — Antique 
Churches.  —  Royal  Palaces.  —  Historical  Memories.  —  City  Archi- 
tecture. —  Zoological  Gardens. 

Having  resolved  upon  a  journey  due  north,  twenty 
days  of  travel  over  familiar  routes  carried  the  author 
across  the  Atlantic  and,  by  the  way  of  Liverpool,  Lon- 
don, Paris,  and  Hamburg,  landed  him  in  Copenhagen, 
the  pleasant  and  thrifty  capital  of  Denmark.  As  the 
following  pages  will  be  devoted  to  Scandinavia,  Rus- 
sia, and  Russian  Poland,  this  metropolis  seems  to  be 
a  proper  locality  at  which  to  begin  the  northern 
journey  with  the  reader. 

It  was  ah-eady  nearly  midnight  when  the  Hotel 
D'Angleterre,  fronting  upon  the  Kongcns  Nytorv, 
was  reached.  So  long  a  period  of  uninterrupted 
I 


2  DUE  NORTH. 

travel,  night  and  day,  rendered  a  few  hours  of  quiet 
sleep  something  to  be  gratefully  appreciated.  Early 
the  next  morning  the  consciousness  of  being  in  a 
strange  city,  always  so  stimulating  to  the  observant 
traveller,  sent  us  forth  with  curious  eyes  upon  the 
thoroughfares  of  the  Danish  capital  before  the  aver- 
age citizen  was  awake.  The  importunities  of  couri- 
ers and  local  guides,  who  are  always  on  the  watch 
for  visitors,  were  at  first  sedulously  ignored ;  for 
it  would  be  foolish  to  rob  one's  self  of  the  great 
pleasure  of  a  preliminary  stroll  alone  amid  scenes  and 
localities  of  which  one  is  blissfully  ignorant.  A  cice- 
rone will  come  into  the  programme  later  on,  and  is  a 
prime  necessity  at  the  proper  time ;  but  at  the  outset 
there  is  a  keen  gratification  and  novelty  in  verifying 
or  contradicting  preconceived  ideas,  by  threading  un- 
attended a  labyrinth  of  mysterious  streets  and  blind 
alleys,  leading  one  knows  not  where,  and  suddenly 
coming  out  upon  some  broad  square  or  boulevard  full 
of  unexpected  palaces  and  grand  public  monuments. 

It  was  thus  that  we  wandered  into  the  old  Market 
Square  where  Dietrick  Slagheck,  Archbishop  of  Lund 
and  minister  of  Christian  II.,  was  burned  alive.  A 
slight  stretch  of  the  imagination  made  the  place  still 
to  smell  of  roasted  bishop.  "  Is  this  also  the  land  of 
wooden  shoes  ? "  we  asked  ourself ,  as  the  rapid  clatter 
of  human  feet  upon  the  pavements  recalled  the  famil- 
iar street-echoes  of  Antwerp.  How  eagerly  the  eye 
receives  and  retains  each  new  impression  under  such 
circumstances !     IIow  sharp  it  is  to  search  out  peculi- 


COPENHAGEN.  6 

aritics  of  dress,  manners,  architecture,  modes  of  con- 
veyance, the  attractive  display  of  merchandise  in  shop- 
windows,  and  even  the  expression  upon  the  faces  of 
men,  women,  and  children  !  Children !  if  any  one  says 
the  Danish  children  are  not  pretty,  you  may  with 
safety  contradict  him.  Their  delicately  rounded,  fresh 
young  faces  are  lit  up  by  such  bright,  turquoise-colored, 
•  forget-me-not  blue  eyes  as  appeal  to  the  heart  at  once. 
What  a  wholesome  appetite  followed  upon  this  pioneer 
excursion,  when  we  entered  at  breakfast  on  a  new 
series  of  observations  while  satisfying  the  vigorous 
calls  of  hunger,  each  course  proving  a  novelty,  and 
every  dish  a  fresh  voyage  of  gastronomic  discovery  ! 

Copenhagen  was  a  large  commercial  port  many 
centuries  ago,  and  has  several  times  been  partially 
destroyed  by  war  and  conflagration.  It  has  some  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  about 
six  miles  in  circumference.  The  site  of  the  city  is  so 
low  as  to  render  it  necessary  to  protect  it  from  the 
waters  of  the  Baltic  by  artificial  embankments.  Like 
Amsterdam  and  Venice,  it  may  be  said  to  possess 
"  remarkable  water-privileges."  We  were  told  that 
the  citizens  were  making  earnest  remonstrance  as  to 
the  inefficient  drainage  of  the  city,  which  is  believed 
to  be  the  prime  cause  of  a  somewhat  extraordinary 
percentage  of  mortality.  In  past  times  it  has  more 
than  once  been  visited  by  the  plague,  which  so  late 
as  1711  caused  the  death  of  over  twenty-eight  thou- 
sand of  its  inhabitants.  It  is  only  some  thirty  years 
since,  that  over  hve  thousand  persons  died  here  of 


4  DUE  NORTH. 

cholera  in  one  season.  Fevers  of  a  typhoid  character 
prevail  annually,  which  are  no  doubt  with  good  rea- 
son attributed  to  want  of  proper  drainage.  Notwith- 
standing Copenhagen  is  situated  so  nearly  at  tide 
level,  modern  engineering  could  easily  perfect  a  sys- 
tem of  drainage  which  would  render  it  independent 
of  this  circumstance.  The  safe  and  spacious  harbor  is 
formed  by  the  channel  between  the  islands  of  Zeeland 
and  Amager,  where  there  is  ample  depth  and  room  to 
answer  the  demands  of  a  far  more  extended  commerce 
than  the  city  is  ever  likely  to  maintain.  The  houses 
are  mostly  of  brick,  some  of  the  better  class  being 
built  of  Norwegian  granite,  while  the  newer  portion 
of  the  town  presents  many  examples  of  fine  modern 
architecture.  The  streets  are  of  good  width  and  laid 
out  with  an  eye  to  regularity,  besides  which  there  are 
sixteen  spacious  public  squares.  Taken  as  a  whole, 
the  first  impression  of  the  place  and  its  surroundings 
is  remarkably  pleasing  and  attractive.  As  one  ap- 
proaches the  city,  the  scene  is  enlivened  by  the  many 
windmills  in  the  environs,  whose  wide-spread  arms  are 
generally  in  motion,  appearing  like  the  broad  wings 
of  enormous  birds  hovering  over  the  land  and  just 
preparing  to  alight.  One  is  hardly  surprised  that  Don 
Quixote  should  mistake  them  for  palpable  enemies, 
and  charge  upon  them  full  tilt.  Perhaps  the  earliest 
associations  in  its  modern  history  which  the  stranger 
is  likely  to  remember,  as  he  looks  about  him  in  Copen- 
hagen, is  that  of  the  dastardly  attack  upon  the  city, 
and  the  shelling  of  it  for  three  consecutive  days,  by 


ICE-BO U^'D   POUTS    OF    Till::   BALTIC.  5 

the  British  fleet  in  1807,  during  which  uncalled  for 
and  reckless  onslaught  an  immense  destruction  of 
human  life  and  i)ro})erty  was  inflicted  upon  the  place. 
Over  three  hundred  important  buildings  were  laid  in 
ashes  on  that  occasion,  because  Denmark  refused  per- 
mission for  the  domiciling  of  English  troops  upon  her 
soil,  and  declined,  as  she  had  a  most  unquestionable 
right  to  do,  to  withdraw  her  connection  with  the  neu- 
tral powers.  It  was  one  of  the  most  outrageous  ex- 
amples of  English  arrogance  on  record,  —  one  which 
even  her  own  historians  feel  compelled  to  denounce 
emphatically.  No  wonder  the  gallant  Nelson  ex- 
pressed his  deep  regret  at  being  sent  to  the  Baltic  on 
such  distasteful  service.  Copenhagen  received  the  ex- 
pressive name  it  bears  (Merchant's  Haven)  on  account 
of  its  excellent  harbor  and  general  commercial  advan- 
tages. As  in  the  Mediterranean  so  in  the  Baltic,  tidal 
influence  is  felt  only  to  a  small  degree,  the  difference 
in  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  water  at  this  point  being 
scarcely  more  than  one  foot.  It  should  be  remembered, 
however,  that  the  level  of  the  waters  of  the  Baltic  are 
subject,  like  those  of  the  Swiss  lakes,  to  barometric 
variations.  Owing  to  the  comparatively  fi'esh  charac- 
ter of  this  sea,  its  ports  are  ice-bound  for  a  third  of 
each  year,  and  in  extreme  seasons  the  whole  expanse  is 
frozen  across  from  the  Denmark  to  the  Swedish  coast. 
In  1658,  Charles  X.  of  Sweden  marched  his  army 
across  the  Belts,  dictating  to  the  Danes  a  treaty  of 
peace;  and  so  late  as  1809,  a  Russian  army  passed 
fi'om  Finland  to  Sweden  across  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia. 


6  DUE  NORTH. 

The  possessions  of  Denmark  upon  the  main-land 
are  in  our  day  quite  circumscribed,  consisting  of  Jut- 
land only  ;  but  she  has  besides  several  islands  far 
and  near,  of  which  Zeeland  is  the  most  populous,  and 
contains  the  capital.  As  a  State,  she  may  be  said  to 
occupy  a  much  larger  space  in  history  than  upon  the 
map  of  Europe.  The  surface  of  the  island  of  Zeeland 
is  uniformly  low,  in  this  respect  resembling  Holland, 
the  highest  point  reaching  an  elevation  of  but  five 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  To  be  precise  in  the  matter 
of  her  dominions,  the  colonial  possessions  of  Denmark 
may  be  thus  enumerated :  Greenland,  Iceland,  the 
Faroe  group  of  islands,  between  the  Shetlands  and 
Iceland ;  adding  St.  Croix,  St.  Thomas,  and  St.  John 
in  the  "West  Indies.  Greenland  is  nearly  as  large  as 
Germany  and  France  combined ;  but  its  inhabitants 
do  not  quite  reach  an  aggregate  of  ten  thousand. 
Iceland  is  about  the  size  of  our  New  England  States, 
and  has  a  population  of  seventy-five  thousand.  The 
Faroes  contain  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  and  the 
three  West  Indian  islands  united  have  a  population 
of  a  little  over  forty  thousand. 

A  slight  sense  of  disap})ointmont  was  realized  at 
not  finding  more  visible  evidences  of  antiquity  while 
visiting  the  several  sections  of  the  capital,  partic- 
ularly as  it  was  remembered  that  a  short  time  since, 
in  1880,  the  Danish  monarchy  reached  the  thousandth 
anniversary  of  its  foundation  under  Gorm  the  Old, 
whose  reign  bridges  over  the  interval  between  mere 
legend  and  the  dawn  of  recorded  history.     Gorm  is 


DA NJ sn    CIL 1  AM  CTEIi I S Tl CS.  7 

supposed  to  have  been  a  direct  descendant  of  tlic 
famous  Mking,  Regnar  Lodbrog,  who  was  a  daring 
and  imperious  ruler  of  the  early  Northmen.  The  com- 
mon origin  of  the  three  Baltic  nationalities  which 
constitute  Scandinavia  is  clearly  ap[)arent  to  the 
traveller  who  has  visited  Denmark,  Sweden,  and  Nor- 
way, or  to  any  one  who  has  even  an  ordinary  knowl- 
edge of  their  history.  The  race  has  been  steadily 
modified,  generation  after  generation,  in  its  more 
vivid  characteristics,  by  the  progressive  force  of  civ- 
ilization. These  Northmen  are  no  longer  the  haughty 
and  reckless  warriors  who  revelled  in  wine  drunk 
from  the  skulls  of  their  enemies,  and  who  deemed 
death  only  respectable  when  encountered  upon  the 
battle-field.  Clearer  intelligence  and  culture  have 
substituted  the  duties  of  peaceful  citizens  for  those  of 
marauders,  and  the  enterprises  of  civilized  life  for  the 
exaggerated  romance  of  chivalry.  Reading  and  writ- 
ing, which  were  looked  upon  among  them  as  allied  to 
the  black  art  a  few  centuries  ago,  are  now  the  uni- 
versal accomplishment  of  all  classes,  and  nowhere 
on  the  globe  will  the  traveller  find  a  people  more 
cheerful,  intelligent,  frank,  and  hospitable  than  in 
the  three  kingdoms  of  the  far  North. 

Though  the  Danes  are  physically  rather  small, 
resembling  in  this  respect  the  Japanese,  still  they 
spring,  as  we  have  seen,  from  a  brave  and  warlike 
race,  and  have  never  been  subjugated  by  any  other 
l)Cople.  On  the  contrary,  in  the  olden  time  they  con- 
quered England,  dismembered  France,  and  subjugated 


8  DUE  NORTH. 

Norway  and  Sweden.  The  time  has  been  when  the 
Danes  boasted  the  largest  and  most  efficient  navy  in 
the  world,  and  their  realm  still  justly  bears  the  title 
of  "  Queen  of  the  Baltic."  As  to  seamanship,  they 
are  universally  acknowledged  to  be  among  the  best 
sailors  who  navigate  the  ocean.  That  Germany 
covets  Denmark  is  more  than  hinted  at.  The  author 
heard  a  loud-talking  naval  gentleman,  of  German 
nationality,  coolly  express  the  opinion  that  Denmark 
as  an  independent  kingdom  had  nearly  reached  the 
close  of  its  existence.  This  was  on  board  the  German 
mail-steamer,  while  crossing  a  branch  of  the  Baltic 
between  the  ports  of  Kiel  and  Korsoer.  Whether 
this  individual  reflected  the  ambitious  purposes  of  the 
present  German  government,  or  only  echoed  a  popu- 
lar sentiment  of  his  nation,  the  reader  is  left  to  judge. 
Were  Bismarck  to  attempt,  upon  any  subterfuge,  to 
absorb  Denmark,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
other  European  powers  would  have  something  to  say 
upon  the  subject ;  but  that  the  map  of  Europe,  as  now 
constructed,  is  destined  to  undoi-go  radical  changes  in 
the  near  future  cannot  be  doubted. 

The  Denmark  of  to-day,  typified  by  Copenhagen  its 
capital,  is  a  great  centre  of  science  and  of  art,  quite  as 
much  so  as  are  Munich  or  Dresden,  It  is  surprising 
that  so  few  travellers,  comparatively,  resort  thither. 
For  the  study  of  ethnological  subjects,  there  is  no 
country  which  affords  greater  facilities,  or  which  is 
more  interesting  to  scientists  generally.  The  spirit 
of  Thorwaldsen  here  permeates  everything;  and  in 


TIWinVALDSEN'S   MUSEUM.  9 

making  his  native  city  his  heir,  he  also  bequeathed 
to  her  an  appreciation  of  art,  Avhich  her  eminent 
scientists  have  ably  supplemented  in  their  several 
departments  of  knowledge.  To  visit  the  unique 
Thorwaldsen  Museum  alone  would  repa}^  a  journey 
to  Copenhagen,  and  no  visitor  to  this  Venice  of  the 
North  should  fail  thoroughly  to  explore  its  riches.  It 
is  in  the  very  centre  of  the  city,  situated  close  to  the 
Palace  of  Christiansborg,  and  was  erected  in  1845 
from  the  great  sculptor's  own  design,  based  on  the 
Egyi)tian  order  of  architecture.  It  is  two  stories  in 
height,  and  quadrangular  in  form,  —  the  lower  story 
containing  sculpture  only  ;  the  upper,  both  statuary 
and  pictures.  The  external  aspect  of  the  structure 
is  certainly  not  pleasing,  but  within,  "  where  the  mar- 
ble statues  breathe  in  rows,"  may  be  seen  collected 
together  and  appropriately  arranged  six  hundred  of 
the  great  master's  works,  exhibiting  the  splendid  and 
it  is  believed,  as  regards  this  department  of  art,  un- 
equalled result  of  one  man's  genius  and  industry. 
With  galleries  and  vestibules  the  Museum  contains 
over  forty  apartments,  ample  space  being  afforded  for 
the  best  disj)lay  of  each  figure  and  each  group.  The 
ceilings  are  elaborately  and  very  beautifully  decorated 
with  emblematical  designs  by  the  best  Danish  artists. 
This  enduring  monument  to  art  is  also  Thorwaldsen's 
ai)propriate  mausoleum,  being  fashioned  externally 
after  an  Etruscan  tomb,  and  decorated  in  fresco  with 
scenes  illustrative  of  the  sculptor's  life.  These  crude 
and  unprotected  frescos,  however,  have  become  quite 


10  DUE  NORTH. 

dim,  and  are  being  gradually  effaced  by  exposure  to 
the  elements.  So  far  as  any  artistic  effect  is  con- 
cerned, we  are  honestly  forced  to  say  that  the  sooner 
they  disappear  the  better.  The  interior  of  the  Museum 
is  peculiar  in  its  combined  effect, —  a  little  depressing, 
we  thought,  being  painted  and  finished  in  the  som- 
bre Pompeian  style.  It  contains  only  Thoi'waldsen's 
works  and  a  few  pictures  which  he  brought  with 
him  when  he  removed  hither  from  Rome,  where  so 
many  years  of  his  artistic  life  were  passed.  We  have 
here  presented  to  us  the  busts,  models,  sketches,  and 
forms  in  clay,  plaster,  or  marble,  which  represent 
all  his  works.  Tliorwaldsen's  favorite  motto  was : 
"  The  artist  belongs  to  his  work,  not  the  work  to  the 
artist,"  —  a  conscientious  devotion  which  seems  to 
invest  everything  which  came  from  his  hand.  His 
body  lies  buried  in  the  centre  of  the  open  court 
about  which  the  building  is  constructed,  without  any 
designating  stone,  the  ground  being  slightly  raised 
above  the  surrounding  pavement,  and  appropriately 
covered  with  a  bed  of  growing  ivy.  A  sense  of  still- 
ness and  solemnity  seems  to  permeate  the  atmo- 
sphere as  one  pauses  beside  this  lowly  but  expressive 
mound. 

Among  the  portrait-statues  which  linger  in  the 
memory  are  many  historic  and  familiar  characters, 
such  as  Copernicus,  Byron,  Goethe,  Hans  Andersen, 
Humboldt,  Schiller,  Horace  Yernct,  Cliristian  IV., 
the  favorite  monarch  of  the  Danes,  and  many  more. 
"We  have  said  that  the  ti-cnci'al  effect  of  these  artistic 


TIlOIilVALDSE.WS   SCULPTURES.  11 

halls  was  a  little  deprcssiiig ;  still,  this  was  not  the 
infiiieiicc  of  the  great  sculptor's  creations,  for  they 
arc  full  of  the  joyous,  elevating,  and  noble  charac- 
teristics of  humanity.  Thorwaldsen  revelled  in  the 
representation  of  tenderness,  of  youth,  beauty,  and 
childhood.  Nothing  of  the  repulsive  or  terrible  ever 
came  from  his  hand.  The  sculptor's  regal  fancy 
found  expression  most  fully,  perhaps,  in  the  relievi 
Avhich  are  gathered  here,  illustrating  the  delightful 
legends  of  the  Greek  mythology.  He  gives  us  here 
in  exquisite  marble  his  original  conceptions  of  what 
others  have  depicted  with  the  pen  and  the  brush.  No 
one  can  wonder  at  the  universal  homage  accorded 
l)y  his  countrymen  to  the  memory  of  the  greatest  of 
modern  sculptors.  The  bust  of  Luther  is  seen  in 
the  main  hall  in  an  unfinished  condition,  just  as  the 
sculptor  left  it,  and  upon  which,  indeed,  he  is  said  to 
have  worked  the  day  before  his  death.  It  depicts  a 
rude,  coarse  face,  but  one  full  of  energy  and  power. 
In  the  Hall  of  Christ,  as  it  is  called,  is  the  celebrated 
group  of  our  Lord  and  the  Twelve  Disciples,  the 
original  of  which  is  in  the  Cathedral.  The  impressive 
effect  of  this  remarkable  group  is  universally  con- 
ceded ;  no  one  can  stand  before  it  unaffected  by  its 
grand  and  solemn  beauty.  Thorwaldsen's  household 
furniture,  writing-desk,  books,  pictures,  and  relics  are 
here  disposed  as  they  were  found  in  his  home  on  the 
day  of  his  death,  —  among  which  a  clock,  made  by 
him  when  he  was  but  twelve  years  of  age,  will  interest 
the  visitor. 


12  DUE  NORTH. 

A  large  proportion  of  tlue  many  persons  whom  we 
met  in  the  Museum  were  Danes,  whose  respectability 
and  admirable  behavior  impressed  us  most  favor- 
ably,—  a  conviction  which  was  daily  corroborated 
upon  the  public  streets,  where  there  was  none  of  the 
grossness  observable  which  is  so  glaring  among  the 
middle  and  lower  classes  of  more  southern  cities. 
There  are  no  mendicants  upon  the  thoroughfares ; 
order  and  cleanliness  reign  everywhere,  reminding 
one  of  Holland  and  the  Hague.  The  young  trees 
and  delicate  flowers  in  the  public  gardens  require  no 
special  protection,  and  one  looks  in  vain  for  anything 
like  rowdyism  in  the  crowded  thoroughfares.  Though 
the  Danes  are  free  consumers  of  malt  liquors,  not  a 
case  of  intoxication  met  the  author's  eye  while  he 
remained  in  Copenhagen. 

The  Ethnological  Museum  of  the  city,  better  known 
as  the  Museum  of  Northern  Antiquities,  is  generally 
considered  to  be  the  most  remarkable  institution  of  its 
class  in  Europe.  Students  in  this  department  of 
science  come  from  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world  to 
seek  knowledge  from  its  countless  treasures.  One  is 
here  enabled  to  follow  the  progress  of  our  race  from 
its  primitive  stages  to  its  highest  civilization.  The 
national  government  liberally  aids  all  purposes  akin  to 
science  and  art;  consequently  this  Museum  is  a  fa- 
vored object  of  the  State,  being  also  liberally  endowed 
by  private  munificence.  Each  of  the  three  distinctive 
periods  of  Stone,  Bronze,  and  Iron  forms  an  elabo- 
rate division  in  the  spacious  halls  of  the  institution. 


MUSEUM   OF  i\ORTIIEliX  AXTIQUIT/ES.       lo 

In  classifying  the  objects,  care  has  been  taken  not 
only  to  divide  the  three  great  periods  named,  but  also 
in  each  of  these  divisions  those  belonging  to  the  be- 
ginning and  the  end  of  the  period  are  chronologi- 
cally placed,  as  fast  as  such  nice  distinctions  can  be 
\vrouglit  out  by  careful,  scientific  study  and  comparison. 
Here  the  visitor  gazes  with  absorbing  interest  upon  the 
tangible  evidences  of  a  race  that  inhabited  this  earth 
probably  thousands  of  years  before  it  was  broken 
into  islands  and  continents.  Their  one  token,  these 
rude,  but  expressive  stone  implements,  are  found 
equally  distributed  from  the  Arctic  Circle  to  the 
Equator,  from  Canada  to  Brazil,  from  England  to 
Japan.  Scientists  whose  culture  and  intelligence  en- 
title their  opinion  to  respect,  place  the  Stone  Age  as 
here  illustrated  at  least  twenty  thousand  years  before 
the  birth  of  Christ.  How  absorbing  is  the  interest 
attaching  to  these  relics  which  ages  have  consecrated ! 
No  matter  Avhat  our  preconceived  notions  may  be, 
science  only  deals  with  irrefutable  facts.  The  periods 
delineated  may  be  thus  expressed  :  first  the  Flint  pe- 
riod, which  comes  down  to  fifteen  hundred  years  be- 
fore Christ ;  followed  by  the  Bronze,  which  includes 
the  next  twelve  or  thirteen  hundred  years ;  then  the 
Iron,  which  comes  down  far  into  the  Christian  era. 
What  is  termed  the  Mediaeval  brings  us  to  1536,  since 
which  time  there  is  no  occasion  for  classification.  No 
wonder  the  antiquarian  becomes  so  absorbed  in  the 
study  of  the  past.  "  The  earliest  and  the  longest  has 
still  the  mastery  over  us,"  says  George  Eliot.    Progress 


14  DUE  NORTH. 

is  daily  making  in  the  correct  reading  of  these  compre- 
hensive data,  and  those  who  may  come  after  us  will 
be  born  to  a  great  wealth  of  antiquit3\  Other  coun- 
tries may  learn  much  from  the  admirable  management 
of  this  Museum  in  the  matter  of  improving  the  educa- 
tional advantages  which  it  affords.  Professors  of  emi- 
nence daily  accompany  the  groups  of  visitors,  clearly 
explaining  the  purport  and  the  historical  relations  of 
the  many  interesting  objects.  These  persons  are  not 
merely  intelligent  employees,  but  they  are  also  trained 
scientists ;  and,  above  all,  they  are  enthusiastic  in  freely 
imparting  the  knowledge  which  inspires  them.  Such 
impromptu  lectures  are  both  original  and  impressive. 
Indeed,  to  go  through  the  Ethnological  Museum  of 
Copenhagen  understandingly  is  a  liberal  education. 
It  should  be  added  that  the  zeal  and  affability  of  these 
able  officials  is  as  freely  and  cheerfully  extended  to 
the  humblest  citizen  as  to  distinguished  strangers. 
One  retui-ns  again  and  again  with  a  sort  of  fascination 
to  these  indisputable  evidences  of  history  relating  to 
periods  of  which  there  is  no  written  record.  If  they  are 
partially  defective  in  their  consecutive  teachings,  they 
are  most  impressive  in  the  actual  knowledge  which 
they  convey.  Without  giving  us  a  list  of  sovereigns  or 
positive  dates,  they  afford  collectively  a  clearer  knowl- 
edge of  the  religion,  culture,  and  domestic  life  of  the 
people  of  their  several  periods  than  a  Gibbon  or  a 
Bancroft  could  depict  with  their  glowing  pages. 

The  Danes  are  a  cultured  people,  much  more  so, 
indeed,  than  the  average  classes  of  the  continental 


EDUCATIONAL  FACILITIES  IN  DUXMARK.      15 

States.  The  largo  miinher  of  book-stores  was  a  no- 
ticeable feature  of  the  capital,  as  well  as  the  excellent 
character  of  the  books  which  were  offered  for  sale. 
These  were  in  German,  French,  and  English,  the  liter- 
ature of  the  latter  being  especially  well  represented. 
Copenhagen  has  more  daily  and  Aveekly  newspapers, 
magazines,  and  current  news  publications  than  Edin- 
burgh or  Dublin,  or  most  of  the  provincial  cities  of 
Great  Britain.  It  may  be  doubted  if  even  in  this 
country,  outside  of  New  England,  we  have  many  dis- 
tricts more  liberally  supplied  with  free  library  accom- 
modations, or  with  educational  facilities  for  youth, 
than  are  the  populous  portions  of  Zecland  and  Jut- 
land. Even  small  country  villages  have  their  book- 
clubs and  dramatic  clubs.  A  very  general  taste  for 
the  drama  prevails.  Indeed,  Denmark  has  a  national 
drama  of  its  own,  which  exercises  a  notable  influence 
ui)on  its  people.  This  Government  was  the  first  in 
Europe  to  furnish  the  means  of  education  to  the  people 
at  large  on  a  liberal  scale,  to  establish  schoolhouses  in 
every  parish,  and  to  provide  suitable  dwellings  and  in- 
comes for  the  teachers.  The  incipient  steps  towards 
this  object  began  as  far  back  as  the  time  of  Christian 
II.,  more  than  three  centuries  ago,  while  most  of  the 
European  States  were  grovelling  in  ignorance.  Copen- 
hagen has  two  public  libraries,  —  the  Royal,  contain- 
ing over  six  hundred  thousand  books ;  and  the  Uni- 
versity, which  has  between  two  hundred  and  fifty  and 
tliree  hundred  thousand  volumes,  not  to  speak  in  de- 
tail of  a  particularly  choice  collection  of  manuscripts. 


16  DUE   NORTH. 

These  under  reasonable  restrictions  are  free  to  all, 
citizen  or  foreigner.  The  National  University  is  of 
the  first  class,  and  supports  a  well  organized  lecture- 
system,  like  that  of  the  Sorbonne  in  Paris,  and  which 
is  also  free  to  all,  women  having  the  same  facilities 
afforded  them  as  those  enjoyed  by  the  sterner  sex. 
This  institution,  we  were  assured,  is  conducted  upon 
the  most  modern  educational  system.  It  was  founded 
in  1478,  and  at  the  present  writing  has  between  twelve 
and  fifteen  hundred  students,  instructed  by  about  fifty 
able  professors. 

Though  Denmark  is  a  small  kingdom,  containing 
scarcely  three  millions  of  people,  yet  it  has  produced 
many  eminent  men  of  science,  of  art,  and  of  literature. 
The  names  of  Hans  Christian  Andersen,  of  Rasmus 
Rask  the  philologist,  of  Oersted  the  discoverer  of 
electro-magnetism,  of  Forchhammer  the  mineralogist, 
and  Eschricht  the  physiologist,  will  occur  to  the 
reader's  mind  in  this  connection.  It  is  a  country  of 
legend  and  romance,  of  historic  and  prehistoric  monu- 
ments, besides  being  the  very  father-land  of  fairy 
tales.  The  Vikings  of  old  have  left  their  footprints 
all  over  the  country  in  barrows  and  tumuli.  It  is  not, 
therefore,  surprising  that  the  cultured  portion  of  the 
community  are  stimulated  to  antiquarian  research. 
The  masses  are  clearly  a  pleasure-loving  people,  easily 
amused  and  contented,  troubling  themselves  very  lit- 
tle about  religious  matters  ;  the  arts,  poetry,  and  the 
drama  being  much  more  reverenced  than  the  church. 
The  accepted  and  almost  universal  doctrine  is  that  of 


CHARITABLE  INSTITUTIONS.  17 

Lutheranism.  One  meets  comparatively  few  intelli- 
gent persons  who  cannot  speak  English,  while  many 
speak  French  and  German  also.  The  Danish  lan- 
guage is  a  modified  form  of  the  old  Gothic,  which 
prevailed  in  the  earliest  historic  ages. 

Copenhagen  is  liberally  supplied  with  free  hospitals 
and  charitable  institutions,  but  except  the  Communal 
Hospital,  the  buildings  devoted  to  these  purposes  have 
no  architectural  merit.  A  child's  home  Avas  pointed 
out  to  us  designed  for  the  children  of  the  poor,  whose 
parents  are  unable  to  take  care  of  them  during  their 
working  hours.  Before  going  out  to  a  day's  labor,  a 
mother  can  place  her  child  in  this  temporary  home, 
where  it  will  be  properly  cared  for  and  fed  until  she  re- 
tui-ns  for  it.  "  Is  any  charge  made  for  this  service  ?" 
Ave  asked.  "  Certainly,"  replied  our  informant,  him- 
self an  official  of  importance ;  and  he  named  a  sum 
equal  to  about  five  cents  of  our  money  as  the  price  per 
day  for  the  care  of  each  infant.  "  If  it  were  entirely 
gratuitous,"  he  added,  "  it  would  not  be  nearly  so  well 
appreciated,  and  would  lead  to  imposition.  The  pay- 
ment of  this  trifling  sum  enhances  the  estimate  of  tlie 
privilege  far  beyond  its  cost."  The  institution  could 
not  be  sustained  by  such  limited  charges  however ;  its 
real  support  is  by  the  local  government.  Another  in- 
stitution was  visited,  designed  for  the  sick  and  poor, 
where  they  can  be  properly  nursed  when  temporarily 
ill,  yet  not  sufficiently  so  to  seek  admission  to  a  regu- 
lar hospital.  There  have  been  as  many  as  eight  thou- 
sand patients  admitted  within  a  twelve-month  to  this 


18  DUE  NORTH. 

estal)lishment.  There  are  also  homes  for  old  men  and 
old  women,  intended  for  indigent  persons  who  are  too 
old  to  work.  From  the  latter  "  home  "  there  was  ob- 
served driving  upon  the  Lange  Linie,  beside  the  sea,  a 
large  open  wagon  full  of  dames  who  were  enjoying  a 
healthful  outing.  As  the  vehicle  passed  us,  the  driver 
was  pointing  out  to  his  charges  the  distant  view  of 
Sweden,  across  the  intervening  Sound.  The  Royal 
Theatre  or  Opera  House,  situated  on  the  King's  Square, 
was  to  us  a  surprise,  —  it  is  so  similar,  at  first  sight,  to 
the  more  elaborate  and  costly  Opera  House  in  the  Place 
de  rOpera  in  Paris,  and  as  it  antedates  that  elegant 
structure,  it  would  certainly  seem  to  have  suggested 
some  of  its  best  lines.  The  Danish  theatre  will  accom- 
modate seventeen  hundred  persons,  and  is  usuall}'  well 
filled,  the  royal  box  being  seldom  empty.  The  cor- 
ridors are  remarkable  for  spaciousness,  and  form  a 
popular  promenade  for  both  sexes  during  the  intervals 
between  the  acts.  This  furnishes  an  agreeable  social 
break  to  the  often  long-protracted  performances.  On 
one  side  of  the  theatre  facing  the  Square  is  a  hideous 
bronze  statue  of  Adam  Oehlenschlaeger,  the  Danish 
lyric  author ;  and  on  the  opposite  side  is  another  rep- 
resenting Ludwig  von  Holberg,  the  Norwegian  drama- 
tist. This  latter,  in  an  artistic  sense,  is  still  more 
objectionable  than  the  first  named.  The  ballet  as 
re]ircsentecl  here  is  unique,  being  mostly  designed  to 
illustrate  the  early  history  of  Scandinavia. 

On  one  of  the  main  thoroughfares  leading  from  the 
Square  already  named,  the  triple  domes  of  a  Russian 


CHURCHES  AND  PALACES.  19 

cluii'cli  da/zli'  the  eve  with  tlicir  Ijriglit  "ildcd  surface 
and  long  hanging  chains,  depending  from  cross  and 
crescent  of  the  same  metal,  the  whole  reflecting  the 
sun's  rays  with  the  force  of  a  Venetian  mirror.  The  in- 
terior, however,  is  plain,  though  rich  in  white  marble, 
here  and  there  carved  in  lattice  pattern  to  form  balus- 
trades and  dados.  Near  by  this  church  is  the  residence 
of  the  Russian  Minister.  On  this  same  street,  called 
the  Bredgade,  is  the  Frederick's  Church,  begun  as 
long  ago  as  1749,  after  a  grand  design,  and  not  yet 
finished.  It  is  half  surrounded  to-day  by  a  broad  high 
staging,  upon  which  gTou])s  of  mechanics  were  seen 
busily  at  work,  as  has  been  the  case  for  so  many  gen- 
erations. This  is  known  as  the  Marble  Church,  and 
is  surmounted  by  a  grand  if  not  graceful  dome  of  im- 
mense proportions.  The  English  residents  of  the  city 
are  building  an  Episcopal  church  on  the  Esplanade, 
the  local  government  having  given  the  ground  for  this 
purpose.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  by  the  Prince  of 
Wales  in  1885,  with  a  grand  ceremony,  at  which  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  of  Russia  assisted,  with  all  the 
Danish  royal  family.  It  is  the  first  English  church 
erected  in  the  country.  On  the  Amaliegade,  which 
runs  parallel  with  the  Bredgade  and  which  is  the  next 
street  to  it,  are  four  spacious  palaces,  which  form  a 
square,  in  the  centre  of  which  stands  a  bronze  statue  of 
Frederick  V.  These  palaces  are  the  town  residence  of 
the  present  royal  family,  one  being  also  devoted  to  the 
business  of  the  Foreign  Office.  The  Amaliegade  ends 
at  the  Lange  Linie,  where  the  Esplanade  begins. 


20  DUE  N on  Til. 

The  spire  of  the  large  city  Exchange  is  very  cu- 
rious, being  formed  of  the  twisted  tails  of  three 
marvellous  dragons,  their  bulging  heads  resting  on 
the  four  corners  of  the  tower,  —  altogether  forming 
the  most  ridiculous  attempt  at  architectural  orna- 
mentation we  have  yet  chanced  to  behold.  The 
building  thus  surmounted  dates  back  to  1624,  form- 
ing a  memento  of  the  reign  of  Christian  IV.  The 
Church  of  our  Saviour  has  also  a  remarkable  spire, 
with  a  winding  staircase  outside  leading  to  the  pin- 
nacle. The  ball  which  surmounts  this  lofty  spire, 
and  upon  which  stands  a  colossal  figure  of  our 
Saviour,  is  said  to  be  large  enough  to  contain  twelve 
persons  at  a  time  ;  but  without  climbing  to  the  sum- 
mit, the  local  guide's  assurance  that  there  were  just 
tliree  hundred  and  ninety  three  steps  between  base 
and  top  was  unhesitatingly  accredited.  This  church 
was  consecrated  in  1696.  A  peculiarity  of  its  steeple 
is  the  fact  that  the  spiral  stairs  wind  upwards  in 
the  opposite  direction  from  that  which  is  usual. 
This  was  undoubtedly  an  accident  on  the  part  of 
the  mechanics.  Christian  IV.  detected  the  awkward- 
ness and  pointed  it  out  to  the  architect,  who,  sin- 
gular to  say,  had  not  before  realized  a  circumstance 
which  is  now  so  obvious.  His  consequent  cliagrin 
was  so  great  as  nearly  if  not  quite  to  render  him  in- 
sane. He  ascended  the  spire  on  the  day  when  the 
work  was  completed,  and  ended  his  life  by  throwing 
himself  from  tlie  summit.  Such  was  the  entertaining 
legend  rehearsed  with  great  volubility  to  us  by  our 


rilE   CIIRISTIANSBORG  PALACE.  21 

local  guide,  who  was  evidently  annoyed  at  our  smile 
of  incredulity. 

The  Christiansborg  Palace,  which  was  the  Louvre 
of  Copenhagen,  contained  many  fine  paintings  by  the 
old  masters,  including  choice  examples  by  Tintoretto, 
Nicholas  Poussin,  Raphael,  Rubens,  Salvator  Rosa, 
Vandyke,  Rembrandt,  and  others.  The  building  was 
partially  burned  in  1884, — a  fate  reserved  it  would 
seem  for  all  public  structures  in  this  country,  a  simi- 
lar fortune  having  befallen  this  same  palace  seventeen 
or  eighteen  years  ago.  It  still  remains  in  ruins,  and 
the  pictures  and  other  works  of  art,  which  were  saved, 
have  not  yet  found  a  fitting  repository.  Not  even  fire 
has  purged  this  now  ruined  palace  of  its  many  tragic 
histories,  its  closeted  skeletons,  and  its  sorrowful 
memories.  It  was  here  that  Caroline  Matilda  Avas 
made  the  reigning  queen,  and  here  a  court  mad  with 
dissipation  held  its  careless  revels.  From  this  place 
the  dethroned  queen  went  forth  to  prison  at  Elsi- 
norc,  and  her  reputed  lover  (Struensec)  was  led  to  the 
scaffold.  There  was  poetical  justice  in  the  retributive 
conduct  of  the  son  of  the  unfortunate  queen,  one  of 
whose  earliest  acts  u{3on  assuming  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment was  to  confine  the  odious  queen-mother 
Juliana  in  the  same  fortress  which  had  formed  the 
prison  of  Caroline  Matilda.  Though  the  Christians- 
borg Palace  is  now  in  partial  ruins,  its  outer  walls 
and  facade  are  still  standing  nearly  complete,  quite 
enough  so  to  show  that  architecturally  it  was  hugely 
ugly.     When  it  was  intact  its  vast  courts  contained 


22  DUE   NORTH. 

the  chambers  of  Parliament,  as  well  as  those  devoted 
to  the  suites  forming  the  home  of  the  royal  family, 
and  spacious  art  galleries. 

In  strolling  about  the  town  one  comes  now  and  then 
upon  very  quaint  old  sections,  where  low  red-tiled 
roofs  and  houses,  with  gable  ends  towards  the  street, 
break  the  monotony.  The  new  quarters  of  Copenha- 
gen, however,  are  built  up  with  fine  blocks  of  houses, 
mostly  in  the  Grecian  style  of  architecture,  —  palatial 
residences,  with  fa9ades  perhaps  a  little  too  generally 
decorated  by  pilasters  and  floral  wreaths,  alternating 
with  nymphs  and  cupids.  The  two-story  horse-cars 
convey  one  in  about  fifteen  minutes  over  a  long,  level, 
tree-shaded  avenue  from  the  centre  of  the  city  to 
Fredericksborg  Castle  in  the  environs.  It  is  a  palace 
erected  by  Frederick  IV.  as  a  summer  residence  for 
himself  and  court,  but  though  capacious  and  finely 
located,  it  is  void  of  all  aspect  of  architectural  gran- 
deur. As  a  portion  of  the  grounds  commands  a  fine 
view  of  the  city,  the  castle  is  generally  visited  by 
strangers.  The  spacious  building  is  at  present  used 
for  a  military  educational  school.  The  park  which 
surrounds  Fredericksborg  Castle  is  the  great  charm  of 
the  locality,  being  ornamented  in  all  parts  by  imme- 
morial trees,  deep  sylvan  shades,  purling  streams, 
graceful  lakes,  and  inviting  greensward.  It  forms 
the  daily  resort  of  picnic  parties  from  the  close  streets 
of  the  town  near  at  hand,  who  come  hither  on  sum- 
mer afternoons  in  such  numbers  as  to  tax  the  full 
capacity  of   the   tramway.     At   tlie  entrance  to  the 


THE   ZOOLOGICAL   GARDEN.  '^3 

park  stands  a  bronze  statue  of  Frederick  IV.,  wliich 
])resents  so  strong  a  likeness  to  Lamartine,  in  form  and 
feature,  as  instantly  to  recall  the  French  orator  and 
poet.  Adjoining  the  extensive  grounds  of  the  castle 
is  the  Zoological  Garden,  which  appears  to  occupy 
about  ten  acres  of  well-wooded  and  highly  cultivated 
territory,  ornamented  with  choice  flower-beds,  small 
lakes  for  aquatic  birds,  and  a  large  brook  running 
through  the  midst  of  the  grounds.  There  is  here  an 
admirable  collection  of  animals.  The  author's  visit 
chanced  upon  a  Saturday  afternoon,  when  a  bevy  of 
])rimary-school  children,  composed  of  boys  and  girls 
under  twelve  years,  was  being  conducted  from  section 
to  section  by  their  teachers,  while  the  nature  of  each 
animal  was  lucidly  explained  to  them.  No  advantage 
for  educational  purposes  seems  to  be  forgotten  or 
neglected  in  Denmark. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Public  Amusements  in  Copenhcagen.  • —  Danish  Sovereigns.  —  The  Fash- 
ionable Promenade.  —  Danish  Women.  —  Palace  of  Rosenborg.  — 
A  Golconda  of  Gems.  — A  Poet's  Monument.  • — A  Famous  Astron- 
omer. ■ —  Our  Lady's  Church.  — -The  King's  Square.  — •  The  Curious 
Old  Round  Tower.  —  The  Peasantry.  —  A  Famous  Deer  Park.  — 
Roskilde.  —  Elsinore.  —  Gypsies.  —  Kronborg  Castle.  —  The  Queen's 
Prison.  —  Hamlet  and  Ophelia's  Grave.  —  A  Danish  Legend. 

Copenhagen  is  not  without  its  ballets,  theatres, 
Alhambras,  Walhallas,  and  cafes  cJiantants.  The  prin- 
cipal out-door  resort  of  this  character  is  the  Tivoli 
Gardens,  laid  out  in  the  Moorish  style,  where  the  citi- 
zens, representing  all  classes,  —  the  cultured,  the  ar- 
tisan, and  the  peasant, —  assemble  and  mingle  together 
in  a  free-and-easy  way.  Here  they  enjoy  the  long 
summer  evenings,  which  indeed  at  this  season  of  the 
year  do  not  seem  like  evenings  at  all,  since  they  are 
nearly  as  light  as  the  day.  Whatever  may  be  said  in 
advocacy  of  these  public  assemblies,  enjoyed  amid  the 
trees,  flowers,  soft  air,  and  artistic  surroundings,  there 
seems  to  a  casual  visitor  to  be  too  much  freedom  per- 
mitted between  the  sexes  for  entire  respectability,  and 
yet  nothing  actually  repulsive  was  observable.  In 
Berlin  or  Vienna  these  popular  resorts  would  be  des- 
ignated as  beer  gardens ;  here '  they  are  called  tea- 
gardens.  The  Tivoli  has  a  fine  ballet  troup  among 
its  attractions,  and  employs  two  orchestras  of  forty 


THE   FASHIONABLE   PROMENADE.  25 

iiistnimcntal  performers  eaeli,  stationed  in  different 
parts  of  the  spacious  gardens.  The  price  of  admis- 
sion to  these  ilhuninated  grounds  is  merely  nominal. 
Some  of  the  wealthiest  families  as  well  as  the  humbler 
luring  their  children  with  them,  as  is  the  custom  of 
those  who  frequent  the  beer  gardens  of  Munich  and 
Dresden.  As  a  popular  place  of  varied  and  attractive 
aunisements  the  Tivoli  of  Copenhagen  has  hardly  its 
equal  in  Europe. 

Just  across  the  harbor  is  the  spacious  and  fertile 
island  of  Amager,  some  twenty  square  miles  in  extent, 
which  serves  as  the  kitchen  or  vegetable  garden  of  the 
capital.  It  was  first  occupied  by  a  colony  of  Flemings 
who  were  brought  hither  in  1516  by  Charles  II.,  for  the 
]turpose  of  teaching  his  subjects  how  to  cultivate  vege- 
tables and  flowers.  The  descendants  of  these  foreign- 
ers still  retain  traces  of  their  origin,  remaining  quite 
distinctive  in  their  costume  and  personality.  These 
peasants,  or  at  least  those  who  daily  come  to  market, 
must  be  well  off  in  a  pecuniary  sense,  judging  by  their 
gold  and  silver  ornaments  and  fanciful  dresses. 

Tramways  render  all  parts  of  the  city  and  environs 
accessible,  the  double-decked  cars  enabling  them  to 
carry  a  large  numl)er  of  passengers.  Broad  streets 
and  convenient  sidewalks  invite  the  promenaders 
along  the  open  squares,  which  are  frequently  lined 
with  umbrageous  trees  and  embellished  with  monu- 
ments. The  fashionable  drive  and  promenade  is  the 
Lange  Linic  (that  is,  the  "  Long  Line  "  ),  bordering  the 
Sound  and  forming  a  complete  circle.    It  reminded  one 


26  DUE  NORTH. 

of  the  Chiaja  of  Naples,  though  there  is  no  semi-tropical 
vegetation  to  carry  out  the  similitude.  It  was  pleas- 
ant to  meet  here  the  members  of  the  royal  family, 
including  the  Queen  and  Prince  Royal.  The  two 
servants  upon  the  box  in  scarlet  livery  were  the  only 
distinctive  tokens  of  royalty  observable,  and  there  were 
no  other  attendants.  Her  Majesty  and  the  Prince  were 
both  prompt  to  recognize  and  salute  us  as  a  stranger. 
The  present  king,  Christian  IX.,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, was  crowned  in  1863,  and  is  now  in  his  sixty- 
fifth  year.  Being  in  poor  health,  during  our  visit  he 
was  absent  at  Wiesbaden,  partaking  of  its  mineral 
waters.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  past  sovereigns 
of  Denmark  have  not  always  been  so  deserving  of 
popular  respect  as  have  the  people  of  the  country 
generally.  The  late  king  was  by  no  means  a  shining 
light  of  morality.  He  was  married  three  times,  di- 
vorcing his  first  queen ;  the  second  divorced  him,  and 
the  royal  rou^  ended  by  marrying  his  mistress,  who 
was  a  fashionable  milliner.  He  first  created  her  a 
countess,  but  he  could  not  make  a  lady  of  her,  even  in 
outward  appearance,  and  she  remained  to  the  last  a 
social  monstrosity  to  the  court.  She  was  fat,  vulgar- 
looking,  snub-nosed,  bourgeoisc.  aud  ruled  the  King 
in  all  things.  She  was  totally  ignored  by  decent 
society  in  the  capital,  and  became  so  obnoxious  that 
she  nearly  provoked  open  rebellion.  However,  the 
fortunate  death  of  the  King  finally  ended  this  con- 
dition of  affairs ;  and  as  he  left  no  children  by  any 
of  his  wives,  the  crown  descended  to  his  cousin  the 


THE  PALACE   OF  ROSENBORG.  2( 

pi'psont  King-,  who,  it  is  pleasant  to  record,  has  not 
failed  to  dignify  the  throne. 

The  ladies  walk  or  drive  very  generally  in  the  after- 
noon upon  the  Lange  Linie,  and  are  certainly  attrac- 
tive with  their  fair  complexions,  light  golden  hair, 
and  smiling  blue  eyes.  They  have  both  sunny  faces 
and  sunny  hearts,  emphasized  by  the  merriest  tones 
of  ringing  laughter  that  ever  saluted  the  ear.  They 
are  lovable,  but  not  beautiful,  excelling  in  ordinary 
accomplishments,  such  as  music  and  dancing ;  "  but 
above  all,"  said  a  resident  American  to  us,  "  they  are 
naturally  of  domestic  habits,  and  care  nothing  for 
politics  or  so-called  woman's  rights,  except  the  right 
to  make  home  happy."  The  well-to-do  portion  of  the 
community  very  generally  live  in  "  flats,"  after  the 
French  and  modern  American  style.  Some  large  and 
elegant  buildings  of  this  character  were  observed  in 
course  of  construction  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  Bred- 
gade.  There  is  no  very  poor  or  squalid  district  in  the 
town,  and  one  looks  in  vain  for  such  wretched  hovels 
as  disfigure  so  many  European  cities. 

The  Palace  of  Rosenborg  with  its  superb  gardens, 
noble  avenues  of  chestnut  trees,  and  graceful  shrul)- 
bery  is  situated  near  the  present  centre  of  the  city. 
It  was  once  a  royal  residence,  having  been  built  by 
Christian  IV.  as  a  dwelling-place,  whither  he  might 
retire  at  will  from  the  noise  and  interruptions  of  the 
capital.  At  the  time  of  its  erection  in  1604  it  was 
outside  the  walls,  a  radius  which  the  modern  city  has 
long  since  outgrown.     The  room  in  which  the  King 


28  DUE  NORTH. 

died  in  1648  is  shown  to  visitors,  and  recalled  to  us 
the  small  apartment  in  which  Philip  II.  died  at  the 
Escurial,  near  Madrid,  Among  the  few  paintings 
upon  the  walls  of  this  apartment  is  one  representing 
the  King  upon  his  death-bed,  as  he  lay  in  his  last  long 
sleep.  The  palace  is  now  devoted  to  a  chronological 
collection  of  the  belongings  of  the  Danish  kings, 
spacious  apartments  being  devoted  to  souvenirs  of 
each,  decorated  in  the  style  of  the  period  and  contain- 
ing a  portion  of  the  original  furniture  from  the  several 
royal  residences,  as  well  as  the  family  portraits,  gala- 
costumes,  jewelry,  plate,  and  weapons.  Altogether  it 
is  a  collection  of  priceless  value  and  of  remarkable 
historic  interest,  covering  a  period  of  about  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years.  One  is  forcibly  reminded  of  the 
Green  Vaults  of  Dresden  while  passing  through  the 
many  sections  of  Rosenborg  Castle.  The  extraordi- 
nary and  valuable  collection  within  its  walls  has,  it  is 
believed,  no  superior  in  point  of  interest  in  all  Europe. 
The  founder  of  this  museum  was  Frederick  III.,  the 
son  and  successor  of  Christian  TV.  Some  of  the  cab- 
inets and  other  articles  of  furniture  in  the  various  halls 
and  rooms  are  marvellous  Avorks  of  art,  inlaid  with 
ivory  and  mother-of-pearl,  representing  birds,  flowers, 
landscapes,  and  domestic  scenes  with  all  the  finished 
effect  of  oil  paintings  by  a  master-hand.  In  the  cab- 
inets and  tables  secret  drawers  are  exposed  to  view  by 
the  touching  of  hidden  springs.  While  some  tables 
are  formed  of  solid  silver,  as  are  also  otlicr  articles 
of  domestic  use,  still  others  are  composed  of  both  gold 


A    POET'S   MONUMENT.  29 

and  silver.  Many  of  the  royal  regalias  arc  profusely 
inlaid  with  diamonds,  sapijhires,  emeralds,  rubies,  and 
other  precious  stones,  —  forming  an  aggregated  value 
too  large  for  us  to  venture  an  estimate.  The  toilet 
sets  were  numerous,  and  had  belonged  to  the  several 
queens,  each  embracing  eight  or  ten  finely  wrought 
pieces  made  of  solid  gold,  superbly  inlaid  with  pre- 
cious stones.  Among  these  costly  sets  was  observed 
the  jewelled  casket  of  Queen  Sophia  Amalie,  wife 
of  Frederick  III.,  a  relic  of  great  interest,  inlaid  with 
scores  of  large  diamonds.  The  costly  and  very  beauti- 
ful bridal  dresses  of  several  royal  personages  are  here 
exhibited,  all  being  carefully  and  chronologically  ar- 
ranged, so  that  the  intelligent  visitor  clearly  reads  veri- 
table history  amid  this  array  of  domestic  treasures. 

It  is  difficult  to  designate  the  order  of  architecture 
to  which  the  Rosenborg  Palace  belongs,  though  it  is 
clearly  enough  in  the  showy  renaissance  of  the  seven- 
teenth century.  It  is  attributed  to  the  famous  archi- 
tect Inigo  Jones.  In  the  spacious  grounds  is  a  fine 
monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  Hans  Christian 
Andersen,  the  Danish  poet  and  author,  whose  popular 
tales  are  the  delight  not  only  of  all  Scandinavian 
children,  but  of  those  of  larger  growth,  being  full  of 
acute  observation  and  profound  views  under  a  simple 
and  familiar  guise.  At  the  foot  of  this  statue,  as  we 
passed  by,  there  stood  a  group  of  young  children,  to 
whom  one  evidently  their  teacher  was  explaining  its 
])urport.     A    school  of  gardening  is  also  established 


30  DUE  NORTH. 

These  grounds  are  called  the  Kindergarten  of  the 
city,  being  so  universally  the  resort  of  infancy  and 
childhood  during  the  long  summer  days,  but  are  offi- 
cially known  as  Kongen's  Have  (King's  Garden). 

Close  to  the  Rosenborg  Palace  is  the  Astronomical 
Observatory,  in  the  grounds  of  which  is  a  monument 
to  the  astronomer  Tycho  Brahe,  w^ho  died  in  1610. 
This  monument  was  unveiled  on  the  8th  day  of  August, 
1876,  just  three  hundred  years  after  the  founding  of 
Brahe's  famous  observatory  on  the  Island  of  Hveen, 
where  he  discovered  on  the  1st  of  November,  1572,  the 
Cassiopeia,  which  is  best  known  as  Tycho  Brahe's  star. 
"  Only  Venus  at  her  brightest  surpasses  this  new 
star,"  wrote  the  enthusiastic  astronomer.  Science, 
however,  has  since  shown  that  it  was  no  new  star, 
but  one  that  shines  with  great  lustre  for  a  few  months 
once  in  a  period  of  three  hundred  years.  One  sunny 
afternoon  the  author  took  a  trip  up  the  Sound  to 
Hveen,  familiarly  known  as  Tycho  Brahe's  Island, 
and  which  was  presented  to  Tycho  by  the  King  of 
Denmark.  The  foundation  in  ruins  is  all  that  re- 
mains of  the  famous  castle  which  the  somewhat  vain 
astronomer  built  here,  and  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  Uraniborg  ("  Castle  of  the  Heavens."),  This  man 
was  a  strange  compound  of  science  and  superstition ; 
he  was  a  poet  of  no  ordinary  power,  and  was  courted 
by  many  of  the  eminent  men  of  his  day.  James  VI. 
of  Scotland  was  at  times  his  guest  at  Hveen.  He  was 
well  connected,  but  mortally  offended  his  relatives  by 
marrying  an  humble  peasant  girl  of  Amager. 


THE   ROUND   TOWER.  31 

The  most  interesting  Christian  temi)h:!  in  the  ca{)ital 
is  that  of  Onr  Lady's  Churcli,  being  also  the  oldest 
and  best  endowed.  It  was  founded  early  in  the 
twelfth  century,  and  is  in  the  Greco-Roman  style ;  but 
its  greatest  attraction  is  the  possession  of  some  of 
Thorwaldsen's  finest  sculpture.  The  sad-fated  Caro- 
line Matilda  was  married  with  great  ceremony  in  this 
c]uu"ch,  in  176G,  to  her  cousin  Christian  VII.  Out- 
side of  the  church  are  two  statues  in  bronze,  —  one  of 
David  by  Jerichau,  and  one  of  Moses  by  Bissen.  The 
King's  Square  already  spoken  of  is  situated  very  near 
the  actual  centre  of  the  city,  whence  radiates  a  dozen 
more  or  less  of  the  principal  streets,  of  which  the 
Bredgadc  (Broad  Street)  is  one.  In  the  middle  of 
this  area  there  is  a  statue  of  Christian  V.  surrounded 
by  grotesque,  allegorical  figures.  The  material  of  the 
statue  is  lead,  the  whole  forming  a  colossal  caricature 
u])on  art,  entirely  unworthy  of  its  present  situation. 
There  is  a  friendly  collection  of  tall  shrubbery  clus- 
tered about  the  leaden  statue,  forming  a  partial 
screen.  The  spacious  square,  or  circus  as  it  would  be 
called  in  London,  or  piazza  in  Rome,  is  bordered  by 
several  public  buildings,  mingled  with  tall  narrow 
dwellings,  characterized  by  fantastic  gables  and  long 
sl()j)ing  roofs  full  of  little  dormer  windows.  The 
Royal  Theatre,  the  Academy  of  Arts,  Count  ]\Ioltke's 
]jicture  gallery,  and  some  hotels  centre  here. 

The  Round  Tower  of  Copenhagen  has  been  pro- 
nounced one  of  the  most  remarkable  I)uildings  in  tlie 
world.    It  is  certainly  very  peculiar,  designed  as  a  sort 


32  DUE   NORTH. 

of  annex  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Formerly 
it  served  as  an  astronomical  observatory  ;  and  it  is  an 
observatory  still,  since  it  affords  one  of  the  best  and 
most  comprehensive  views  that  can  be  had  of  the  low- 
lying  capital.  The  tower  consists  of  two  hollow  cylin- 
ders, and  between  them  a  spiral,  gradually-inclined 
foot-way  leads  from  base  to  summit,  somewhat  similar 
to  the  grand  Campanile  in  the  piazza  of  St.  Mark,  Yen- 
ice.  It  is  quite  safe  for  a  horse  and  vehicle  to  ascend  ; 
indeed,  this  performance  is  said  to  have  been  achieved 
by  the  Empress  Catherine,  and  it  is  also  recorded  that 
Peter  the  Great  accomplished  the  same  feat  on  horse- 
back in  1707.  From  the  top  of  the  Round  Tower  the 
red-tiled  roofs  of  the  city  lie  spread  out  beneath  the 
eye  of  the  visitor,  mingled  with  green  parks,  open 
squares,  tall  slim  steeples,  broad  canals,  public  build- 
ings, long  boulevards,  palaces,  and  gardens.  To  this 
aspect  is  added  the  multitude  of  shipping  lying  along 
the  piers  and  grouped  in  the  harbor,  backed  by  a  view 
of  the  open  sea.  The  Swedish  coast  across  the  Baltic 
is  represented  by  a  low  range  of  coast-line  losing  itself 
upon  the  distant  horizon.  Turning  the  eyes  inland, 
there  are  seen  thick  groves  of  dark  woods  and  richly 
cultivated  fields,  sprinkled  here  and  there  by  the  half- 
awkward  but  picturesque  and  wide-armed  wind-mills  in 
lazy  motion.  The  bird's-eye  view  obtained  of  Copen- 
hagen and  surroundings  from  this  eyrie  is  one  to  be 
long  and  vividly  remembered. 

The  environs  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  the  city 
are  rather  sparsely  inhabited,  though  there  are  many 


THE   PEASANTRY.  33 

ileliglitfnl  villas  to  be  seen  here  and  there.  Every- 
thing is  scrui)nlously  neat;  human  and  animal  life 
iippears  at  its  best.  The  whole  of  the  island,  from 
one  end  to  the  other,  is  interspersed  with  thrift}'  farms, 
and  no  dwellings,  barns,  or  other  farm  buildings  are 
so  humble  but  that  the  walls  are  kept  of  snowj^ 
))rightness  with  whitewash,  while  all  are  surrounded 
by  well-kept  shrubbery,  birches,  and  flower-plats.  The 
])easant  girls  seen  at  work  in  large  numbers  in  the 
field  are  smiling,  ruddy,  and  stout ;  the  men  are  of 
low  stature,  but  hale  and  hearty.  We  were  informed 
that  the  nominal  increase  of  the  population  is  so  small 
as  to  he  hardly  recognizable,  being  but  about  one  per 
cent  per  annum,  and —  singular  fact — that  suicide  is 
more  prevalent  in  Denmark  than  in  any  other  portion 
of  Europe.  Emigration  from  this  country  is  far  less 
in  proportion  than  from  Norway  and  Sweden,  but  yet 
amounts  to  a  respectable  aggregate  annually.  Some 
of  the  birch  and  linden  woods  not  far  from  the  city 
form  Ijeautiful  and  picturesque  groves,  particularly 
in  the  suljurlj  north  of  the  capital,  where  the  Prince 
Imperial  has  a  large  chateau,  situated  amid  rich 
woodland  glades.  Though  the  spruce  and  pine  are 
so  abundant  in  Norway  and  Sweden  just  across  the 
narrow  Sound,  no  conifer  will  grow  in  Denmark. 
Tea-gardens  abound  in  these  environs,  the  citizens 
knowing  no  greater  pleasure  than  to  resort  thither  to 
enjoy  their  tea  or  supper  in  the  open  air.  The  short 
summer  season  is  more  than  tropical  in  the  haste  it 
imparts  to  vegetation,  making  up  for  its  brevity  by  its 
3 


34  DUE  NORTH. 

intensity.  Were  this  not  the  case,  the  crops  would 
hardly  reach  maturity  in  Scandinavia. 

There  is  what  is  called  the  Dyrehave,  or  Deer  Park, 
a  couple  of  miles  beyond  the  Prince's  chateau,  where 
the  people  of  Copenhagen  annually  enjoy  a  mid- 
summer revel  lasting  some  weeks,  perhaps  a  little 
too  fast  and  free,  if  the  truth  be  told,  where  even 
Nijnii-Novgorod  is  exceeded  in  lasciviousness.  A 
fair  of  some  days'  continuance  is  held  in  the  park, 
which  reaches  its  climax  on  St.  John's  Eve,  when  its 
well-arranged  precincts,  groves,  caf^s,  shooting  galler- 
ies, flower-booths  and  verdant  vistas  make  a  rare  pic- 
ture of  gayety  and  sportive  life.  A  large  herd  of  the 
picturesque  animals  after  whom  the  park  is  named, 
roam  at  will  over  the  more  secluded  portions.  Among 
them  two  noble  white  stags  were  observed,  the  first 
we  had  ever  chanced  to  see.  The  park  is  reached  by 
a  pleasant  drive  over  an  excellent  road,  or  by  steam 
tramway  cars  any  hour  in  the  day. 

Twenty  miles  northwest  of  the  city  are  situated  the 
village  and  the  royal  palace  of  Fredericksborg,  one  of 
the  noblest  of  all  the  royal  residences  of  the  kings  of 
Denmark.  It  stands  about  midway  between  the  capi- 
tal and  Elsinore.  The  original  building  was  begun 
under  Frederick  IL,  grandfather  of  Charles  I.  of 
England,  and  com^pleted  in  1608  by  his  son  and  sue. 
cessor  Christian  IV.  The  palace  occupies  three  small 
islands  in  the  middle  of  Lake  liillcrod,  which  is  also 
the  name  of  the  neighboring  market-town,  the  islands 
being  connected  therewith  by  a  bridge.     The  building 


LEE  DO  YE  AND  IWSKILDE.  35 

is  four  stories  in  height,  composed  of  red  sandstone, 
ehiborately  ornamented  with  sculpture,  the  whole 
surmounted  by  tall  towers  and  a  stee])le  containing  a 
chime  of  bells.  It  has  been  pronounced  a  dream  of 
architectural  beauty,  quite  unequalled  elsewhere  in 
Denmark. 

It  is  not  the  author's  purpose  to  take  the  reader  far 
away  from  Copenhagen,  or  at  least  from  the  shores  of 
the  Sound,  as  the  plan  of  the  present  volume  is  so  com- 
prehensive in  other  directions  as  to  circumscribe  the 
space  which  can  properly  be  devoted  to  Denmark. 

On  the  peninsula,  as  well  as  in  Zeeland,  the  land  is 
generally  undulating.  There  being  as  we  have  said 
no  mountains  or  considerable  elevations,  consequent- 
ly no  waterfalls  or  rapids  are  to  be  met  \nt\i ;  the 
rivers  are  smooth  and  the  lakes  mirror-like.  The 
soil  is  sandy,  often  marshy,  but  produces  good  crops 
of  grain  and  affords  fine  pasturage.  The  green  fields 
were  sprinkled  far  and  near  on  the  line  of  the  railroad 
from  Korsoer  to  Copenhagen  with  grazing  cattle, 
sheep,  and  horses,  forming  a  pleasing  rural  picture 
under  a  clear  azure  sky.  The  produce  of  the  dairy 
is  the  great  staple  of  Denmark.  On  this  route  one 
passes  through  the  village  of  Leedoye,  where  there 
was  once  a  grand  Pagan  temple  and  place  of  sacrifice, 
exceeded  in  importance  in  Scandinavia  only  by  that 
at  Upsala.  Close  at  hand  is  Roskilde,  so  historically 
interesting,  —  though  save  its  grand  cathedral,  dating 
from  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century,  it  has  little 
left  to  show  that  for  five  hundred  vears  it  was  the 


36  DUE  NORTH. 

capital  of  Denmark,  even  down  to  1448.  Here  is  to 
be  seen  the  black  marble  sarcophagus  of  the  renowned 
Queen  Margaret  of  Scandinavia,  surmounted  by  her 
recumbent  effigy ;  also  a  mortuary  chapel  of  Christian 
lY.  and  Frederick  Y.  Other  queens  and  monarchs 
are  here  interred,  from  the  time  of  Harold  to  Freder- 
ick YII.  The  whole  forms  an  exceedingly  interesting 
monument  of  medigeval  days. 

Upon  this  line  of  road  there  are  occasional  districts 
so  well  wooded  as  to  be  called  forests  ;  but  that  word 
does  not  signify  the  same  in  Zeeland  as  it  does  in 
America.  There  are  still  to  be  seen  occasional  groups 
of  gypsy  vagrants  in  the  inland  districts,  but  are 
rarely  to  be  found  in  the  cities.  Not  many  years 
ago  they  were  here  in  great  numbers,  but  are  now 
gradually  disappearing.  One  group  was  observed 
whose  members  presented  all  the  peculiar  character- 
istics of  their  Asiatic  origin.  They  are  dark-skinned, 
with  raven-black  hair  and  black  piercing  eyes,  pre- 
senting a  picture  of  indolence  and  sensuousness.  The 
young  women  were  mostly  handsome,  even  in  their 
dirt,  rags,  and  cheap  jewelry. 

The  ramparts  and  fortifications  generally  which 
formerly  surrounded  Copenhagen  on  the  seaside  have 
nearly  all  been  demolished,  tlie  ground  being  now 
turned  into  fine  garden-walks  planted  with  umbra- 
geous trees  and  bright-hued  flowers,  adding  greatly 
to  the  beauty  of  the  Danish  capital.  The  last  unim- 
proved portion  of  these  now  defunct  fortifications  is 
beino:  levelled  and  brouuht  into  ornamental  condition. 


THE   TOWN  OF  ELSINORE.  37 

The  former  moats  have  assumed  the  shape  of  thiy 
lakes,  upon  which  swans  arc  seen  at  all  hours ;  and 
Avhere  death-dealing  cannon  were  planted,  lindens, 
rose-bushes,  peonies,  heliotrope,  and  tall  white  lilies 
now  bloom  and  flourish.  The  outer-island  defences 
have  in  the  mean  time  been  greatly  strengthened  and 
the  more  modern  weapons  of  warfare  adopted,  so  that 
Copenhagen  is  even  better  prepared  for  self-defence 
than  ever  before. 

No  finer  scenery  is  to  be  found  in  Europe  than  is 
presented  by  the  country  lying  between  Copenhagen 
and  Elsinore,  composed  of  a  succession  of  forests, 
lawns,  villas,  cottages,  and  gardens  for  a  distance  of 
twenty-five  miles.  Elsinore  is  a  small  seaport,  look- 
ing rather  deserted,  bleak,  and  silent,  with  less  than 
ten  thousand  inhabitants.  From  out  of  the  uniformity 
of  its  red  brick  buildings  there  looms  up  but  one  no- 
ticeable public  edifice ;  namely,  the  Town  Hall,  with 
a  square,  flanked  by  an  octagonal  tower  built  of  brick 
and  red  granite.  The  charm  of  the  place  is  its  re- 
markable situation,  commanding  an  admirable  view 
of  the  Baltic  with  Sweden  in  the  distance,  while  the 
Sound  which  divides  the  two  shores  is  always  dotted 
in  summer  with  myriads  of  steamers  and  sailing 
vessels.  The  author  counted  over  eighty  marine 
craft  at  one  view,  glancing  between  "  the  blue  above 
and  the  blue  below."  The  position  of  Elsinore  recalls 
that  of  Gibraltar  and  the  Dardanelles  as  surely  as  its 
name  recalls  Hamlet  and  Shakspeare.  North  of  the 
town,  on  the  extreme  point  of  the  land,  stands  the 


38  DUE  NORTH. 

famous  castle  of  Kronborg,  with  its  three  tall  towers, 
the  central  one  overtopping  the  others  by  forty  or 
fifty  feet.  The  tower  upon  the  most  seaward  corner 
is  now  devoted  to  the  purpose  of  a  lighthouse.  The 
castle  is  about  three  centuries  old,  having  been  built 
by  Frederick  11.  for  the  purpose  of  commanding  the 
entrance  to  the  Sound,  and  of  enforcing  the  marine 
tolls  which  were  exacted  from  all  foreign  nations  for 
a  period  of  two  or  three  centuries.  Kronborg  contains 
a  small  collection  of  oil  paintings,  nearly  all  of  which 
are  by  Danish  artists.  A  portrait  of  Rubens's  daugh- 
ter by  the  hand  of  the  great  master  himself  was 
observed.  There  is  also  an  ideal  portrait  of  consid- 
erable merit  entitled  Hamlet,  by  Abildgaard.  But  to 
the  author,  as  he  strolled  from  one  spacious  apart- 
ment to  another,  there  came  forcibly  the  sad  memory 
of  the  young  and  lovely  Caroline  Matilda,  Queen  of 
Denmark  and  sister  of  George  III.  It  was  here  tliat 
she  was  confined,  upon  a  preposterous  charge  of  infi- 
delity to  her  husband, — that  royal  lunatic!  —  insti- 
tuted by  the  malignity  of  the  Queen  Dowager,  who 
wished  to  secure  the  succession  to  her  son.  After  a 
trying  period  of  imprisonment  in  this  castle,  the  ill- 
fated  Matilda  was  permitted,  through  the  influence  of 
her  royal  brother  to  retire  to  Zell,  in  Hanover,  where 
she  died  of  a  broken  heart  at  the  age  of  twenty-three. 
During  her  misfortune  she  wrote  that  memorable  line 
on  the  window  of  Fredericksborg  Castle,  with  a  dia- 

"  Lord  keep  iiie  innocent :  make  others  great." 


HAMLET'S   GRAVE.  39 

One  has  only  to  study  for  a  moment  the  serene  and 
beautiful  face  of  the  Queen,  as  exhibited  in  Rosenborg 
Palace,  to  feel  entire  confidence  in  her  innocence. 

If  you  come  to  Elsinore  the  guide  will  show  you 
Avhat  is  called  Hamlet's  grave,  located  in  a  small 
srrovc  of  trees,  where  some  cunning  hands  long  ago 
erected  a  rude  mound  of  stones.  Shakspeare,  who 
had  a  royal  way  of  committing  anachronisms,  made 
Hamlet  live  in  this  place  after  the  introduction  of 
gunpowder,  whereas,  if  any  such  person  ever  did 
exist,  it  was  centuries  earlier  and  hundreds  of  miles 
farther  north  upon  the  mainland,  in  what  is  now  Jut- 
land. However,  that  is  unimportant.  Do  not  leave 
Elsinore  without  visiting  Ophelia's  fatal  brook !  To 
be  sure  it  is  not  large  enough  for  a  duck  to  swim  in, 
but  a  little  stretch  of  the  imagination  will  overcome 
all  local  discrepancies. 

Far  back  in  Danish  legendary  story,  a  time  when 
history  fades  into  fable,  it  is  said  there  was  a  Hamlet 
in  northern  Denmark,  but  it  was  long  before  the  birth 
of  Christ.  His  father  was  not  a  king,  but  a  famous 
pirate  chief  who  governed  Jutland  in  conjunction  with 
his  brother.  Hamlet's  father  married  the  daughter 
of  a  Danish  king,  the  issue  being  Hamlet.  His  uncle, 
according  to  the  ancient  story,  did  murder  Hamlet's 
father  and  afterwards  married  his  mother ;  and  this 
was  the  Ixisis  of  Shakspeare's  grand  production. 

The  great,  gloomy-looking  castle  of  Kronborg, 
which  has  stood  sentinel  here  for  three  centuries, 
would  require  two  thousand  men  and  more  to  defend 


40  DUE  NORTH. 

it  in  time  of  war,  but  modern  gunnery  has  rendered 
it,  for  all  offensive  purposes,  of  no  account.  The 
Sound,  which  at  Copenhagen  is  about  twenty  miles 
wide,  here  narrows  to  two,  the  old  fort  of  Helsing- 
borg  on  the  Swedish  coast  being  in  full  view.  Thus 
the  passage  here  forms  the  natural  gate  to  the  Baltic. 
There  are  delightful  drives  in  the  environs  of  Elsinore 
presenting  land  and  sea  views  of  exquisite  loveliness, 
the  water-side  bristling  with  reefs,  rocks,  and  light- 
houses, while  that  of  the  land  is  picturesque  with 
villas,  groves,  and  cultivated  meads. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Gottenburg.  —  Ruins  of  Elfsborg.  — Gustavus  Adolphus.  — A  Wrecked 
Monument.  —  The  Girdle-Duellists.  —  Emigration  to  America.  — 
Public  and  Private  Gardens.  —  A  Kindly  People.  —  The  Gotha 
Canal.  —  Falls  of  Trollhiitta.  —  Dainty  Wild-Flowers.  —  Water- 
ways. —  Stockholm  and  Lake  Maelaren.  —  Prehistoric  Tokens.  — 
Iron  j\Iines  of  Sweden.  —  Pleasing  Episode  with  Children.  —  The 
Liquor  Traffic  Systematized.  —  A  Great  Practical  Charity.  —  A 
Domestic  Habit. 


One  day's  sail  due  north  from  Copenhagen  through 
the  Sound  and  the  Cattegat  —  Strait  of  Catti  —  brings 
us  to  Gottenburg,  the  metropolis  of  southwestern 
Sweden.  The  Strait,  which  is  about  a  hundred  miles 
in  width,  is  nearly  twice  as  long,  and  contains  many 
diminutive  islands.  Gottenburg  is  situated  on  the 
Gotha  River,  about  five  miles  from  its  mouth.  In 
passing  up  this  water-way  the  old  fortification  of 
Elfsborg  was  observed,  now  dismantled  and  deserted, 
though  it  once  did  good  service  in  the  war  with  the 
Danes.  Cannon-balls  are  still  to  be  seen  half  em- 
bedded in  the  crumbling  stonewalls,  —  missiles  which 
were  fired  from  the  enemy's  ships.  Though  Gotten- 
burg is  less  populous,  it  is  commercially  almost  as 
important  as  Stockholm  the  capital,  and  it  is  appro- 
]>riately  called  the  Liverpool  of  Scandinavia.  The 
town,  with  its  eighty  thousand  inhabitants,  has  a  wide- 


42  DUE  NORTH. 

awake  aspect,  especially  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
river,  where  the  numerous  well-stocked  timber-yards 
along  the  wharves  show  that  product  to  be  a  great 
staple  of  the  local  trade.  One  is  agreeably  prepos- 
sessed upon  landing  here  by  a  certain  aspect  of  neat- 
ness and  cleanliness  observable  on  all  sides.  Indeed, 
few  foreign  towns  produce  so  favorable  a  first  impres- 
sion. The  business  centre  is  the  Gustaf-Adolf-Torg, 
in  which  is  situated  the  Bors,  or  Exchange,  decidedly 
the  finest  building  architecturally  in  the  city.  In  the 
centre  of  the  Torg  is  a  bronze  statue  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  the  founder  of  the  town,  and  which,  as  a 
work  of  art,  is  extremely  creditable  to  the  designer, 
Fogelberg.  The  history  of  the  statue  is  somewhat 
curious.  It  seems  that  the  first  one  designed  for 
this  public  square  was  wrecked  at  sea  while  on  its 
passage  from  Hamburg  to  Gottenburg,  but  was  res- 
cued by  a  party  of  sailors  off  Heligoland,  who  claimed 
so  extraordinary  a  sum  as  salvage  that  the  Gotten- 
burgers  refused  to  pay  it,  and  ordered  of  the  sculptor 
a  second  one  to  replace  that  which  had  been  saved 
from  the  sea.  In  due  time  the  second  statue  was  fur- 
nished and  set  up  in  the  Torg,  Nov.  5, 1855,  on  the  two 
hundred  and  twenty-third  anniversary  of  the  death  of 
Gustavus.  The  extortionate  seamen  who  held  the  first 
statue  were  finally  glad  to  sell  it  to  other  parties  for  a 
comparatively  small  sum,  representing  its  bare  metallic 
value.     It  now  stands  in  the  Domshide  of  Bremen. 

The  deep,  broad  watercourse  which  runs  through 
the  centre  of  the  city  to  the  harbor  is  the  beginning 


GOTTENBURG.  43 

of  the  famous  Gotha  Canal,  wliich  joins  fjord,  river, 
locks,  and  lakes  together  all  the  way  to  Stockholm, 
directly  across  southern  Sweden,  thus  connecting 
the  North  Sea  and  the  Baltic.  The  two  cities  are 
also  joined  by  railroad,  the  distance  between  them 
being  over  three  hundred  miles.  The  rural  parts  of 
the  country  through  which  the  canal  passes  are  not 
unlike  many  inland  sections  of  New  England,  present- 
ing pleasant  views  of  thrifty  farms  and  well-cultivated 
lands.  There  are  some  sharp  hills  and  abrupt  valleys 
to  be  encountered,  which  are  often  characterized  by 
grand  waterfalls,  wild-foaming  rivers,  and  surging 
rapids. 

Though  there  is  no  striking  similarity  between  the 
two  cities,  one  is  yet  reminded  of  Amsterdam  by 
Gottenburg,  aided  perhaps  by  the  memory  that  it  was 
originally  founded  by  Gustavus  Adolphus,  in  1619,  and 
that  Dutch  settlers  were  among  its  first  inhabitants. 
The  descendants  of  such  people  are  pretty  sure  to 
retain  an  ancestral  atmosphere  about  them  which  is 
more  or  less  distinctive.  The  place  is  divided  into 
an  upper  and  lower  town,  the  latter  being  a  plain 
cut  up  into  canals,  and  the  former  spread  pictur- 
esquely over  the  adjoining  hills.  The  town  is  made 
up  of  two  or  three  principal  boulevards,  very  broad, 
and  intersecting  one  another  at  right  angles,  with 
a  canal  in  their  centres,  these  waterways  being  em- 
banked by  substantial  granite  borders,  which  are  in- 
terspersed at  convenient  distances  with  granite  steps 
connecting  the  street  with  the  water.    The  spacious 


44  DUE   NORTH. 

harbor  admits  of  vessels   drawing  seventeen  feet  of 
water. 

Gottenburg  is  built  mostly  of  brick,  which  are 
brought  either  from  Denmark  or  Holland ;  and  yet 
the  whole  peninsula  of  Scandinavia  abounds  in  stone. 
Large  blocks  of  dwelling-houses  were  observed  in 
course  of  construction  which  were  of  four  or  five 
stories,  and  quite  elegant  in  design.  The  citizens 
feel  a  just  pride  in  a  well-endowed  College,  a  large 
Public  Library,  an  Exchange,  two  Orphan  Asylums,  a 
flourishing  Society  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  a  large  The- 
atre, and  two  spacious  public  parks.  In  front  of  the 
theatre  is  an  admirable  reproduction  of  Molin,  the 
Swedish  sculptor's  famous  group  of  two  figures  repre- 
senting "  the  girdle-duellists,"  the  original  of  which 
stands  in  front  of  the  National  Museum  at  Stockholm. 
This  popular  and  vigorous  composition  is  reproduced 
in  plaster  and  terra-cotta,  and  offered  for  sale  in  all 
the  cities  of  the  North,  being  particularly  numerous 
in  the  art  stores  of  Copenhagen.  It  depicts  one  of 
the  ancient  Scandinavian  duels,  wherein  the  com- 
batants, stripped  to  the  skin,  were  bound  together  by 
their  Tmited  leather  belts,  and  thus  confined,  fought 
out  their  battle  with  th^ir  knives,  the  result  proving 
near'/y  always  fatal  to  both.  Previous  to  engaging  in 
the  conflict,  each  of  the  contestants  drove  the  blade 
of  his  knife  as  deep  into  .1  thick  pine-board  as  he 
could  do  with  one  stroke  of  h.'s  arm.  All  the  rest  of 
the  blade  was  then  blunted  and  bound  securely  with 
cord,  leaving  only  the  inch,  more  or  less-  exposed 


EMIGRATION   TO  AMERICA.  45 

which  had  been  buried  in  the  wood.  If  the  weap- 
ons had  not  been  thus  partially  protected,  the  first 
blow  might  have  proved  fatal,  whereas  these  ancient 
belt-duels  were  designed  to  exemplify  strength  and 
endurance.  The  splendid  pose  and  fine  muscular 
development  of  the  two  figures,  represented  at  the 
height  of  their  struggle,  have  justly  given  its  author 
lasting  fame.  This  group  has  been  declared  to  hold 
the  same  place  in  modern  sculpture  that  Meissonier's 
picture  of  "The  Quarrel,"  the  original  of  which  is 
the  property  of  Queen  Victoria,  holds  in  modern 
painting. 

Gottenburg  is  not  without  its  cathedral  and  numer- 
ous fine  churches,  but  especially  it  has  excellent  com- 
mon schools  of  the  several  grades,  primary,  middle, 
and  high.  It  will  be  remembered  that  education  is 
compulsory  throughout  Sweden.  English  is  regularly 
taught  in  her  schools  and  very  generally  spoken  by 
the  educated  classes.  In  conversation  with  the  com- 
mon people,  it  was  discovered  that  the  goal  of  their 
ambition  was  to  emigrate  to  America.  The  depart- 
ures for  this  country,  though  not  excessive,  are  yet 
steady  both  from  this  port  and  Stockholm,  aggre- 
gating in  some  years  forty  thousand  from  Sweden 
and  Norway  combined,  now  and  then  a  group  of  Finns 
going  to  make  up  the  number.  Money  among  the 
lower  classes  is  almost  as  scarce  as  it  is  in  Ireland ; 
but  those  who  have  emigrated,  and  have  been  success- 
ful, liberally  remit  money  wherewith  to  enable  family 
and  friends  to  join  them  in  America. 


46  DUE  NORTH. 

The  Public  Gardens  of  Gottenbiirg  are  beautifully 
arranged,  and  are  kept  in  exquisite  condition,  —  one 
large  division  being  designated  as  the  Botanical  Gar- 
dens, and  abundantly  supplied  with  exotics,  especially 
from  tropical  regions.  Blooming  hawthorn,  white 
and  pink  lilacs,  and  a  great  variety  of  beautiful  trees 
challenge  admiration  on  entering  these  grounds. 
Among  many  familiar  flowers  a  species  of  dwarf 
lobelia  of  azure  blue  and  the  Alpine  forget-me-not, 
with  pale-blue  flowers  and  yellow  eyes,  w^ere  particu- 
larly observable,  mingled  with  pansies  in  a  confused 
variety  of  mammoth  proportions.  The  golden-leaved 
verbena  and  a  large,  tall,  pearly-white  tiger-flower 
were  both  abundant,  the  latter  speckled  with  ruby- 
colored  spots.  The  horse-chestnut  trees  were  in  great 
variety  and  the  largest  we  had  ever  seen.  There  were 
many  grand  old  oaks  and  fine  Lorabardy  poplars  in 
stately  ranks,  as  upright  as  soldiers  at  a  review. 
Inland  excursions  showed  the  pine  and  the  fir  to  be 
the  prevailing  trees,  the  birch  becoming  more  abun- 
dant farther  north.  Fully  one  third  of  the  country, 
as  we  were  assured,  is  covered  with  woods,  some  of 
which  seemed  almost  endless  in  extent.  The  imme- 
diate environs  of  Gottenburg  are  very  attractive,  well 
wooded,  and  adorned  with  picturesque  cottages  and 
some  large  villas.  Among  others  which  we  visited 
was  that  of  Oscar  Dickson,  famous  for  his  interest  in 
Arctic  expeditions.  No  private  gardens  in  England 
or  America  are  more  admirably  kept,  and  the  grape- 
houses  we  have  never  seen  surpassed  in  the  varieties 


THE   GOTllA    CANAL.  4tl 

or  perfection  of  the  fruit.  The  low-hiiids  were  found 
occasionally  bright  with  the  golden  petals  of  the 
marsh-marigold,  which  fairly  blazed  under  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun.  There  is  a  saying  here,  that  when  it 
blooms  the  cuckoo  comes  and  the  roach  spawns.  A 
line  old  bit  of  mouldering,  ivy-grown  ruins  in  the 
shape  of  a  Martello  tower,  situated  upon  rising  ground 
and  overlooking  the  entrance  to  the  inland  waters,  is 
sure  to  attract  the  traveller's  admiring  eye. 

The  kindness  of  the  common  people  and  their 
pleasant  manners  are  most  captivating,  being  charac- 
terized by  quiet  self-possession  and  thoughtful ness  for 
a  stranger's  well-being.  In  more  than  one  instance  a 
casual  inquiry  was  not  only  promptly  responded  to, 
but  wc  were  taken  pleasantly  in  hand,  and  other  wel- 
come though  unsought  guidance  and  information 
were  voluntarily  offered.  Education  is  far  more  gen- 
eral and  culture  is  of  a  higher  grade  in  Sweden  than 
is  common  with  the  people  of  Southern  Europe,  while 
music  seems  to  be  as  universal  an  accomplishment 
here  as  it  is  in  Italy.  The  population  is  frugal,  hon- 
est, self-helping,  and  in  many  respects  resembles  that 
of  Switzerland. 

The  system  of  inland  communication  by  means  of 
the  Gotha  Canal  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  ever 
achieved  by  man,  when  the  obstacles  which  have  been 
overcome  and  the  advantages  accomplished  are  taken 
into  consideration.  Steam-vessels,  limited  to  one  hun- 
dred and  six  feet  in  length  on  account  of  the  size  of 
the  locks,  are  carried  regularly  hundreds  of  miles  by 


48  DUE  NORTH. 

it  across  and  over  the  higblauds  of  southern  Sweden 
from  sea  to  sea.  The  reader  can  easily  realize  what 
a  triumph  of  engineering  skill  it  is  when  he  sees  a 
well-freighted  steamboat  climb  a  mountain  side,  float 
through  lock  after  lock,  and  after  reaching  the  apex 
of  the  hilly  country,  descend  with  equal  facility 
towards  the  coast  and  sea-level.  Steamboats  and 
sailing  vessels  navigating  the  canal  rise,  in  all,  three 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Baltic 
during  the  passage  across  the  country.  At  the  little 
town  of  Berg  the  locks  are  sixteen  in  number,  and 
form  a  gigantic  staircase,  by  means  of  which  vessels 
are  raised  at  this  point  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet. 
Here,  as  well  as  at  the  famous  Falls  of  Trollhatta,  the 
traveller  can  leave  the  steamer  for  three  or  four 
hours,  walking  on  in  advance,  and  thus  obtaining 
some  charming  views  of  inland  scenery.  No  intelli- 
gent person  can  fail  to  appreciate  the  grandeur  of 
the  remarkable  falls  just  mentioned,  with  their  pine- 
clad,  precipitous  banks  and  wild  tumult  of  waters, 
partially  screened  by  a  white  foam-cloud  reaching  far 
heavenward. 

If  possible,  it  is  well  to  tarry  for  a  day  at  Troll- 
hatta, visiting  the  various  points  of  interest  about 
the  famous  i-apids,  and  watching  the  many  steam- 
boats and  other  vessels  which  pass  so  mysteriously 
through  the  ponderous  locks,  ascending  and  descend- 
ing the  elevations  with  mathematical  regularity  and 
speed.  The  valley  through  which  the  railroad  passes, 
often    parallel    with    the    canal,   on    the   way   from 


THE   FALLS   OF   TROLLHATTA.  49 

Gottciibiirg  to  Trollliiltta,  is  one  of  the  most  fer- 
tile in  Sweden,  and  when  we  saw  it  was  rich  with 
ripening  grains.  The  falls  are  accessible  from  Got- 
tenbiirg  by  rail  in  about  two  hours'  travel,  or  by  canal 
leaving  the  city  early  in  the  morning  and  returning  in 
the  evening,  giving  the  visitor  six  or  eight  hours'  time 
at  the  falls.  Trollhiitta  presents  one  of  the  great 
curiosities  of  Sweden,  to  visit  which  tourists  come 
from  all  parts  of  Europe.  It  is  true  that  the  hoarse 
music  of  these  falls  is  mingled  with  the  din  of  saw- 
mills, foundries,  and  smithies,  —  but  one  need  not 
specially  regard  them.  A  little  poetical  latitude  adds 
zest  to  imagination,  and  we  see  the  beauties  and  mar- 
vels which  we  come  prepared  to  see.  The  falls  con- 
sist of  a  series  of  tremendous  rapids  extending  over  a 
distance  of  about  two  hundred  yards,  and  producing 
an  uproar  almost  equal  to  the  ceaseless  oratorio  of 
Niagara.  The  rapids  are  intersected  by  two  or  three 
rocky  but  well-wooded  islands,  on  either  side  of  which 
the  angry  waters  rush  with  a  wild,  resistless  power, 
tossed  by  the  many  sub-currents.  The  whole  array 
of  rapids  forms  a  succession  of  falls  of  which  the  first 
is  called  Gullofallet,  where  on  both  sides  of  an  inac- 
cessible little  island  the  waters  make  a  leap  of  twenty- 
six  feet  in  height,  the  rebound  creating  a  constant 
cloud  of  feathery  spray.  Then  follows  the  highest  of 
the  falls,  the  Toppufallet,  of  forty-four  feet  in  height, 
likewise  divided  by  a  cliff  into  two  parts,  against 
which  the  frantic  waters  chafe  angrily.  The  next  fall 
measures  less  than  ten  feet  in  height,  followed  a  little 
i 


50  DUE  NORTH. 

way  down  the  rapids  by  what  is  called  the  Flottberg- 
strom,  —  all  together  making  a  fall  of  foaming  eddies 
and  whirls  equal  to  about  one  hundred  and  twelve 
feet.  While  near  to  these  roaring  waters  amid  the 
general  chaos,  conversation  is  impossible.  As  at  all 
extensive  falls,  rainbows  constantly  hang  over  and 
about  the  wild  surging  waters  reflected  in  the  gauze- 
clouds  of  transparent  mist. 

While  strolling  through  the  wood-paths  and  over 
the  rocky  ways  which  line  this  sleepless  disorder  of 
the  waters,  the  grounds  in  many  places  were  seen  to 
be  gorgeously  decked  with  flowers  of  Nature's  plant- 
ing,—  many-colored,  sunshine-loving  things.  Among 
those  more  particularly  abundant  was  the  pretty 
violet-purple  flower  of  the  butterwort,  each  circle  of 
pale-yellow  leaves,  with  the  stalk  rising  from  the 
centre  crowned  with  its  peculiar  bloom.  "Beautiful 
objects  of  the  wild-bee's  love."  But  for  the  glutinous 
exudation  one  would  be  tempted  to  gather  them  by 
handfuls.  The  town  of  TroUhatta  is  a  village  of  three 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  contains  a  graceful  little 
Gothic  church.  The  people  are  mostly  manufac- 
turers, who  manage  to  utilize  profitably  a  portion  of 
the  enormous  water-power  afforded  by  the  falls.  The 
word  TroUhatta,  we  were  told,  signifies  "  the  home  of 
the  water-witches."  The  local  legends  Avith  which 
the  traveller  is  freely  regaled  by  the  guides  would  fill 
a  good-sized  volume  in  print,  but  wc  feel  disinclined 
to  inflict  them  sccond-liand  and  wholesale  upon  the 
patient  reader. 


SWEDISH  LAKES.  51 

The  Gotlia  Canal,  as  before  intimated,  utilizes  and 
connects  several  o£  the  great  lakes  of  southern 
Sweden,  the  principal  ones  in  Scandinavia  being  lo- 
cated in  this  region.  Lake  Wener,  which  receives  the 
waters  of  eighty  rivers  large  and  small,  has  an  area  of 
twenty-four  hundred  square  miles,  being  nearly  ten 
times  as  large  as  the  famous  Lake  of  Geneva.  Lakes 
Wetter  and  Maelaren  are  the  next  in  importance,  either 
of  which  is  fully  twice  the  size  of  the  Swiss  lake  just 
named.  The  canal  proper  —  that  is,  the  portion  which 
has  been  artificially  constructed  —  is  ten  feet  deep,  fifty 
^vidc  at  the  bottom,  and  ninety  at  the  surface.  Two 
hundred  and  seventy  miles  of  the  route  traversed  by 
the  vessels  navigating  the  canal  between  Gottenburg 
and  Stockholm  are  through  lakes  and  rivers,  all  of 
which  are  remarkable  for  their  clear  spring-like  char- 
acter and  the  picturesqueness  of  their  surroundings. 
Stockholm  is  situated  on  the  ^laelaren  lake,  where  it 
finds  an  outlet  into  the  Baltic.  This  large  body  of 
water  is  studded  all  over  with  islands  of  every  form 
and  size,  on  some  of  which  are  quaint  old  castles,  mys- 
terious ruins,  and  thick  woods,  haunted  only  by  those 
rovers  of  the  sky,  the  eagle  and  the  hawk.  Others 
are  ornamented  by  charming  villas,  surrounded  by  fine 
landscape  gardening,  with  graceful  groves  of  drooping 
willows  and  birch-trees.  Some  contain  only  fisher- 
men's huts,  while  here  and  there  clusters  of  their  small 
cottages  form  an  humble  village.  The  marine  shells 
which  arc  found  in  the  bottom  of  some  of  the  inland 
lakes   of  both   Xorwav  and   Sweden  show  that   the 


52  DUE  NORTH. 

land  which  forms  their  bed  was  once  covered  by  the 
sea.  This  is  clearly  apparent  in  I^ake  Wener  and  Lake 
Wetter,  which  are  situated  nearly  three  hundred  feet 
above  the  present  ocean  level.  The  first-named  body 
of  water  is  some  eighty  miles  long  by  a  width  of  thirty. 
The  latter  is  as  long,  but  averages  only  ten  miles  in 
width.  Complete  skeletons  of  whales  have  been  found 
far  inland,  at  considerable  elevations,  during  the  pres- 
ent century.  The  oldest  shell-banks  discovered  by 
scientists  in  Scandinavia  are  situated  five  hundred  feet 
above  the  present  level  of  the  ocean.  How  significant 
are  these  deposits  of  a  prehistoric  period ! 

Sweden  has  comparatively  few  mountains,  but  many 
ranges  of  hills.  Norway  monopolizes  almost  entirely 
the  mountain  system  of  the  great  northern  peninsula ; 
but  the  valuable  large  forests  of  pine,  fir,  and  birch 
which  cover  so  much  of  the  country  are  common  to 
both.  Though  iron  is  found  in  large  deposits  in  Nor- 
way, it  is  still  more  abundant  in  Sweden,  where  it  is 
chiefly  of  the  magnetic  and  haematite  character,  yield- 
ing when  properly  smelted  the  best  ore  for  the  manu- 
facture of  steel.  It  is  believed  that  there  is  sufficient 
malleable  and  ductile  iron  in  the  soil  of  Sweden  to 
su])ply  the  whole  world  with  this  necessary  article  for 
a  thousand  years  to  come.  Mount  Gellivare,  which  is 
over  eighteen  hundred  feet  in  height,  is  said  to  be 
almost  wholly  formed  of  an  ore  containing  fully 
eighty  per  cent  of  the  best  quality  of  merchantable 
iron ;  so  that  a  dearth  of  this  mineral  is  certainly 
not  imminent. 


PLEASANT  EPISODE    WITH   CHILDREN.       53 

But  let  us  not  wander  too  far  from  our  course  due 
north.  Nor  are  Ave  vet  quite  ready  to  depart  from 
Gottcnburg.  While  strolling  alone  through  its  broad 
and  pleasant  avenues,  the  writer  met  a  couple  of  girls 
of  about  eleven  and  twelve  years  respectively.  They 
were  evidently  sisters,  and  they  looked  so  bright  and 
so  pleasantly  into  the  stranger's  face  that  he  addressed 
them  in  the  few  native  words  at  his  command.  That 
we  were  a  foreigner  was  at  once  realized,  and  the  eld- 
est asked  from  whence  we  came.  So  much  could  be 
understood,  and  happily  the  name  America  was  plain 
enough  to  them.  It  acted  like  a  charm  upon  them, 
lighting  up  their  soft  blue  eyes  and  wreathing  their 
lips  with  smiles,  while  it  also  elicited  their  confidence. 
Each  put  a  tiny  hand  within  our  own,  and  thus  escorted 
we  passed  along  until  the  nearest  confectioner's  shop 
was  reached.  Here  we  met  upon  terms  where  panto- 
mime was  quite  sufficiently  expressive,  and  we  were 
soon  engaged  in  partaking  gleefully  of  bon-bons,  cakes, 
and  cream.  What  a  merry  half  hour  we  three  passed 
together,  and  how  rapidly  the  time  flew  !  Was  real 
pleasure  ever  more  cheaply  purchased  than  at  the 
moderate  price  demanded  by  the  shop-keeper,  who 
placed  a  little  packet  of  sweets  in  each  of  the  chil- 
dren's hands  as  we  parted  ?  On  passing  out  upon  the 
avenue  we  came  full  upon  a  person  who  was  all  aston- 
ishment and  courtesy  combined.  It  was  Rend,  our 
Danish  courier.  "  I  did  not  think,  sir,"  he  said,  "  that 
you  knew  any  one  in  Gottcnburg."  "  You  were  right, 
Rend,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  these  little  fairies  took 


54  DUE   NORTH. 

possession  of  us,  and  we  have  had  a  delightful  half 
hour  together."  Then  both  of  the  children  began  to 
speak  to  him  at  the  same  time,  and  he  to  reply  to 
them.  It  was  soon  made  apparent  why  they  should  so 
have  affiliated  with  and  trusted  a  stranger.  They 
understood  that  the  writer  was  from  America,  where 
in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  they  had  a  well-beloved 
brother.  It  seemed  to  the  dear  little  blondes  that 
we  must  have  come  as  it  were  direct  from  him.  On 
parting,  a  kiss  was  pressed  upon  tlie  innocent  lips 
of  each  of  the  children,  while  tremulous  tears  were 
only  too  obvious  in  the  sweet,  sympathetic  eyes  of 
the  elder. 

We  were  told  of  a  rather  curious  system  which  orig- 
inated here  of  controlling  the  liquor  traffic,  and  which 
has  long  been  in  successful  operation. 

It  appears  that  a  certain  number  of  shops  only  are 
licensed  for  the  sale  of  pure,  unadulterated  spirits, 
wine,  and  beer  within  the  town,  and  none  others  are 
permitted  to  engage  in  the  business.  These  licensed 
establishments  are  all  in  the  hands  of  an  incorporated 
company,  whose  members  are  content  to  take  five  per 
cent  per  annum  upon  their  invested  capital,  handing 
over  the  surplus  to  the  town  treasury,  the  sum  thus 
received  being  appropriated  towards  reducing  the  regu- 
lar tax-rates  imposed  upon  the  citizens.  The  mana- 
gers of  these  shops  where  liquor  is  sold  have  fixed 
salaries,  not  at  all  contingent  upon  the  profits  realized 
from  the  business,  and  therefore  they  have  no  induce- 
ment to  urge  customers  to  drink.     We  saw  scarcely 


AN  ANTE-PRANDIAL   CUSTOM.  55 

any  indications  of  intemperance  here,  and  were  assured 
by  an  intelligent  resident  that  there  had  been  much 
less  drunkenness  since  this  system  had  been  adopted 
twelve  years  ago.  As  will  be  readily  conceived,  there 
is  now  a  smaller  number  of  dram-shops  opened  to 
tempt  the  weak.  It  is  only  too  true  that  the  "  means 
to  do  ill  deeds  makes  ill  deeds  done." 

There  is  here  also  a  system  in  operation  designed 
to  supply  working-men  and  persons  of  humble  means 
with  permanent  dwelling-houses, — with  homes  which 
they  may  own.  Comfortable  brick  houses  are  erected 
with  all  reasonable  accommodations,  and  a  title  is 
made  out  to  the  would-be  owner,  he  paying  for  the 
same  by  a  small  monthly  instalment,  until  finally  he 
owns  the  establishment.  This  being  a  philanthropic 
object,  no  profit  above  actual  cost  is  designed  to  be 
realized  by  the  promoters.  Tlie  moral  effect  of  the 
plan  is  excellent,  leading  to  a  sense  of  responsibility 
and  economy  among  a  class  which  is  only  too  prone 
to  expend  its  earnings  for  drink,  or  to  fritter  them 
away  without  realizing  an  equivalent. 

It  was  found  that  the  people  in  their  domestic 
establishments  had  an  odd  way  of  i)refacing  their 
family  meals  ;  namely,  partaking  of  raw  salted  sal- 
mon, smoked  herring,  chipped  beef,  and  pickles  of 
various  kinds,  which  they  washed  down  with  one  or 
two  wine-glasses  of  strong  spirit.  It  seemed  to  be  an 
obvious  inconsistency  of  purpose.  This  ceremony 
takes  place  at  a  side-table  just  before  sitting  down  to 
the  regular  meal,  be  it  breakfast,  luncheon,  or  dinner. 


56  DUE  NORTH. 

This  custom  was  noticed  afterwards  at  various  places 
in  Scandinavia  as  well  as  in  Russia,  the  practice  in 
the  latter  country  being  universal  in  hotels  and  pri- 
vate houses ;  but  it  seemed  obvious  to  us  that  it  was 
only  an  excuse  for  dram-drinking  as  an  appetizer. 
Bad  habits  are  easily  acquired,  and  soon  make  slaves 
of  their  incautious  victims.  More  than  one  person 
admitted  to  us  in  Russia  that  without  this  preliminary 
tipple,  dinner  to  them  would  have  no  relish. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Capital  of  Norway. —  A  Grand  Fjord. —  A  Free  and  Independent 
State.  —  The  Legal  Code.  —  Royal  Palace  and  Gardens.  —  Oscar's 
Hall.  —  The  University. —  Public  Amusements.  —  The  Ice  Trade.  — 
Ancient  Viking  Ships.  —  Heathen  Tombs. — An  Interesting  Hos- 
telry. —  A  Steam  Kitchen.  —  Environs  of  Christiania.  —  Horses 
and  their  Treatment.  —  Harvest  Time.  —  Women's  Work.  —  The 
Sajter.  —  A  Remarkable  Lake.  —  Wild  Birds.  —  Inland  Travel.  — 
Scandinavian  Wild  Flowers.  —  Lonely  Habitations.  —  A  Land  of 
Alpine  Heights. 

In  approaching"  the  capital  of  Norway  by  sea  from 
Gotteiiburg,  the  Christiania  fjord  is  ascended  for  a  dis- 
tance of  seventy  miles  to  its  head,  bordered  on  either 
side  nearly  the  whole  way  by  finely-wooded  hills,  and 
its  surface  dotted  by  emerald  isles  reflected  in  the 
deep  mirror-like  waters.  It  must  be  understood  that 
a  fjord  is  not  a  sound,  nor  is  it  a  thoroughfare  in  the 
full  sense  of  that  word ;  it  is  a  cul  de  sac.  This  of 
Christiania  at  its  debouchure  is  just  fifteen  miles  in 
width,  and  like  many  other  Norwegian  fjords  is  much 
deeper  than  the  sea  beyond  its  mouth.  The  entrance 
is  marked  by  a  powerful  and  lofty  lighthouse  on  the 
island  of  Fagrder.  The  ancient  citadel  of  Akershus, 
built  upon  a  bold  and  rocky  promontory  some  six  hun- 
dred years  ago,  commands  the  approach  to  the  city. 
In  this  curious  old  fortification  are  kept  the  regalia 
and  national  records,  the  tree-adorned  ramparts  serving 


58  DUE    NORTH. 

as  a  pleasant  promenade  for  the  pnblic.  One  is 
often  reminded  while  sailing  upon  Norwegian  fjords 
of  the  Swiss  lake-scenery.  This  leading  to  the  capi- 
tal is  not  unlike  Lake  Geneva  in  the  vicinity  of  Yevay 
and  Chillon,  except  that  it  is  bolder  in  its  immediate 
shores  and  is  also  broader  and  deeper  than  Lake 
Leman.  The  city,  which  is  built  upon  a  gradual  slope 
facing  the  south,  is  seen  to  good  advantage  from  the 
harbor.  No  more  appropriate  spot  could  have  been 
selected  for  the  national  capital  by  Christian  IV.,  who 
founded  it,  and  after  whom  it  is  named,  than  the  head 
of  this  beautiful  elongated  bay.  An  ancient  town 
named  Oslo  occupied  the  site  in  the  middle  of  the 
eleventh  century.  It  is  the  seat  of  the  Storthing,  or 
Parliament ;  and  the  King,  whose  permanent  residence 
is  at  Stockholm,  is  expected  to  reside  here,  attended 
by  the  court,  at  least  three  months  of  the  year.  With 
its  immediate  suburbs,  the  population  of  the  city  is 
a  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand.  It  should  be 
remembered  that  Norway  is  a  free  and  independent 
State,  though  it  is  under  the  crown  of  Sweden,  and 
that  the  people  are  thoroughly  democratic,  having 
abolished  all  titles  of  nobility  by  enactment  of  the 
Storthing  (Great  Court)  so  early  as  1821,  at  which 
time  a  law  was  also  passed  forbidding  the  King  to 
create  a  new  nobility.  Nevertheless,  the  thought  oc- 
curs to  us  here  that  these  Northmen,  who  overran  and 
conquered  the  British  Isles,  founded  the  very  nobility 
there  which  is  the  present  boast  and  pride  of  England. 
We  find  some  problems  solved  in  Norway  which  have 


THE  LEGAL    CODE   UF  NORWAY.  59 

created  i)olitical  strife  elsewhere.  Though  its  Church 
is  identical  with  the  State,  unlimited  toleration  ex- 
ists. There  is  also  a  perfect  system  of  political  rep- 
resentation, and  w^hile  justice  is  open  to  one  and  all, 
litigation  is  sedulously  discouraged.  The  meetings  of 
the  Storthing  are  quite  independent  of  the  King,  not 
even  requiring  a  writ  of  assemblage  from  him.  Thus 
it  will  be  seen  that  though  nominally  under  despotic 
rule,  Norway  is  really  self-governed. 

The  legal  code  of  Norway  is  well  worthy  of  study, 
both  on  account  of  its  antiquity  and  its  admirable  pro- 
visions. The  old  sea-kings,  or  free-booters  as  w'e  have 
been  accustomed  to  consider  them,  had  a  more  ad- 
vanced and  civilized  code  than  any  of  the  people  whose 
shores  they  devastated.  Before  the  year  885  the 
power  of  the  law^  was  established  over  all  persons  of 
all  ranks,  while  in  the  other  countries  of  Europe  the 
independent  jurisdiction  of  the  feudal  lords  defied  the 
law  until  centuries  later.  Before  the  eleventh  century 
the  Scandinavian  law  provided  for  equal  justice  to  all, 
established  a  system  of  weights  and  measures,  also  one 
for  the  maintenance  of  roads  and  bridges,  and  for  the 
protection  of  women  and  animals,  —  subjects  which  no 
other  European  code  at  that  time  embraced.  These 
laws  were  collected  into  one  code  by  Magnus  VII. 
about  the  year  1260.  They  were  revised  by  ChristiajH 
I Y.  in  1604,  and  in  1687  the  present  system  was  drawn 
up.  So  simple  and  compact  is  it  that  the  whole  is 
contained  in  a  pocket  volume,  which  is  in  the  posses- 
sion of  every  Norwegian  family.     Each  law  occupies 


60  DUE  NORTH. 

but  a  single  paragraph,  and  all  is  simple  and  intelli- 
gible. Speaking  of  these  early  law-makers  (as  well 
as  law-breakers!)  Carlyle  says:  "In  the  old  Sea- 
Kings,  what  an  indomitable  energy  !  Silent,  with 
closed  lips,  as  I  fancy  them,  unconscious  that  they 
were  specially  brave  ;  defying  the  wild  ocean  with  its 
monsters,  and  all  men  and  things ;  progenitors  of  our 
Blakes  and  Nelsons !  " 

The  Royal  Palace  of  Christiania  is  pleasantly  situ- 
ated on  an  elevated  site,  the  highest  ground  in  fact 
within  the  city,  surrounded  by  an  open  park  contain- 
ing miniature  lakes,  canals,  and  groves  of  charming 
trees.  The  park  is  called  the  Royal  Gardens,  wliich 
are  always  open  to  the  public.  Fronting  the  palace  is 
an  admirable  equestrian  statue  in  bronze  of  the  citizen 
King  Bernadotte,  who  ascended  the  throne  of  Sweden 
under  the  name  of  Carl  Johan  XI Y.,  and  it  bears  his 
consistent  motto  :  "  The  people's  love  is  my  reward." 
The  palace  is  a  large  plain  edifice  of  brick,  quadran- 
gular in  shape  and  painted  a  dull  ugly  yellow,  with  a 
simple  portico.  It  was  erected  within  the  last  fifty 
years,  and  looks  externally  like  a  huge  cotton-factory. 
The  Queen's  apartments  are  on  the  ground  floor  and 
are  very  beautifully  furnished,  especially  the  White 
Saloon,  so  called.  Above  these  are  the  King's  apart- 
ments, embracing  the  usual  variety  of  state  halls, 
audience  chambers,  reception  rooms  and  the  like, 
plainly  and  appropriately  furnished.  The  palace  con- 
tains some  of  Tidemand's  best  pictures.  There  is 
also  a  royal  villa  called  Oscar's  Hall,  situated  in  the 


OSCAR'S  HALL.  61 

immediate  environs  on  the  peninsula  of  Ladcgaardsijcn, 
less  than  three  miles  from  the  city  proper.  It  is  a 
Gothic  structure  amid  the  woods,  eighty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  waters  of  the  harbor  which  it  overlooks. 
Oscar  Hall,  with  its  one  castellated  tower,  is  scarcely 
more  than  a  shooting-box  in  size,  though  it  is  dignified 
with  the  name  of  palace.  The  grounds  are  wild  and 
irregular,  covered  mostly  with  a  fine  growth  of  trees, 
mingled  with  which  the  mountain  ash  was  conspicu- 
ous with  its  clusters  of  berries  in  royal  scarlet.  The 
air  was  full  of  the  fragrance  of  the  lily-of-the-valley, 
which  lovely  little  flower  grows  here  after  its  own 
sweet  will  in  rank  profusion.  There  are  a  few  choice 
paintings  in  the  Hall,  especially  some  admirable  pan- 
els by  Tidemand  representing  scenes  in  Norwegian 
peasant  life,  and  called  "  The  Age  of  Man  from  the 
cradle  to  the  grave."  There  are  also,  we  feel  con- 
strained to  say,  some  very  poor  pictures  on  the  walls 
of  Oscar's  Hall.  In  the  garden  near  the  villa  were 
many  familiar  flowers  in  a  thrifty  condition,  such  as 
lilacs,  white  and  scarlet  honeysuckles,  sweet  peas, 
yellow  tiger-lilies  and  peonies,  besides  some  curious 
specimens  of  cacti  and  a  wonderfully  fragrant  bed 
of  low-growing  mignonette.  It  was  singular  to  see 
flowers  and  fruits  which  with  us  have  each  their 
special  season,  here  hastening  into  bloom  and  ripe- 
ness all  together. 

The  streets  of  the  city  are  quite  broad,  most  of  them 
running  at  right  angles  with  each  other.  The  houses 
are   generally  of   brick,  stuccoed,  though   there   are 


62  DUE  NORTH. 

some  of  stone,  and  all  have  the  effect  of  stone  struc- 
tures. There  was  once  a  richly  endowed  cathedral 
here,  where  James  I.  of  England  was  married  to 
Anne  of  Denmark  in  1589,  but  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  which  element  has  completely  devastated  the 
place  at  different  periods,  so  that  the  present  aspect 
is  one  of  a  substantial  modern  character.  The  old 
wooden  houses  have  almost  entirely  disappeared.  The 
present  cathedral  is  in  the  shape  of  a  Greek  cross,  but 
it  is  of  no  special  interest.  Over  the  altar  is  a  paint- 
ing by  a  German  artist  representing  our  Saviour  in  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane,  a  work  of  much  more  than 
ordinary  merit.  The  inhabitants  of  Christiania  are 
almost  exclusively  Protestants. 

The  University  founded  by  Frederick  YI.  in  1811 
is  a  plain  but  massive  structure,  the  front  ornamented 
with  Corinthian  pillars  of  polished  red  granite.  It 
accommodates  at  the  present  writing  some  nine  hun- 
dred students,  the  tuition  being  free  to  all  native  ap- 
plicants suitably  prepared  ;  it  contains  also  a  noble 
library  of  over  two  hundred  thousand  volumes,  besides 
many  manuscripts  of  inestimable  value.  The  library 
is  freely  open  even  to  strangers  under  very  simple 
restrictions.  The  University  also  contains  an  exten- 
sive Museum  of  Zoology  and  Geology,  wliich  in  the 
departments  of  the  bronze  and  iron  periods  excels 
even  the  admirable  one  at  Copenhagen.  Christiania 
has  a  Naval,  a  Military,  and  an  Art  school,  a  Lunatic 
Asylum,  an  Astronomical  Observatory,  and  various 
charitable  institutions ;  nor  should  we  forget  to  men- 


rilE    CITY   OF   CllRISTlANIA.  63 

tion  its  admirably  conducted  Botanical  Garden  situ- 
ated about  a  mile  from  the  town,  containing  among 
other  interesting  varieties  a  very  finely-arranged  col- 
lection of  Alpine  plants  from  Spitzbergcn  and  Iceland. 
The  town  has  its  Casino,  Tivoli,  or  whatever  we 
})lease  to  call  it ;  the  good  citizens  here  have  named 
it  the  Klinkenberg.  It  is  a  place  of  out-door  amuse- 
ment for  old  and  young,  where  grown  up  children 
ride  wooden-horses  and  participate  in  childish  games 
with  a})parently  as  much  zest  as  the  little  ones.  Here 
we  found  peep-shows,  pistol-galleries,  Russian  slides, 
a  small  theatre,  and  cafes  where  were  dispensed  beer, 
music,  and  Swedish  punch,  —  this  last  very  sweet  and 
very  intoxicating !  The  acrobat,  with  his  two  small 
boys  in  silver-spangles  and  flesh-colored  tights,  was 
present  and  especially  active,  besides  the  conventional 
individual  wlio  eats  tow  and  blows  fire  from  his  mouth. 
On  the  occasion  of  our  visit  the  last  named  individual 
came  to  grief,  and  burned  his  nether  lip  severely. 

The  commerce  of  Christiania  is  increasing  annually. 
Over  two  thousand  vessels  were  entered  at  its  cus- 
tom house  during  the  year  1885.  There  are  regular 
lines  of  steamers  established  between  here  and  Lon- 
don, Hull,  Glasgow,  Copenhagen,  and  other  ports, 
which  transact  a  large  amount  of  business  in  the 
freight  department,  with  a  considerable  incidental 
passenger  trade.  The  harbor  is  frozen  over  at  least 
three  months  of  the  year,  though  that  of  Hammcrfest, 
situated  a  thousand  miles  farther  north  on  the  coast 
of  Norway,  is  never  closed  by  ice,  owing  to  the  genial 


64  DUE  NORTH. 

influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  —  an  agent  so  potent  as 
to  modify  the  temperature  of  the  entire  coast  of  Scan- 
dinavia on  its  western  border.  "Wenham  Lake  Ice, 
which  was  originally  and  for  some  years  shipped  from 
Massachusetts  to  England,  now  comes  direct  from 
the  Christiauia  fjord !  An  English  company  has  long 
owned  a  lake  near  Drobak,  which  yields  them  an 
ample  supply  of  ice  annually.  The  London  ice-carts 
still  bear  the  name  of  ''  Wenham  Lake,"  but  the  ice 
comes  from  Norway.  We  were  told  that  the  quan- 
tity shipped  for  use  in  England  increases  yearly 
as  ice  grows  to  be  more  and  more  of  a  domestic 
necessity. 

The  Storthing's  Hus  is  quite  a  handsome  and  impos- 
ing building,  of  original  design  in  the  Romanesque  and 
Byzantine  style,  facing  the  Carl  Johannes  Square,  the 
largest  open  area  in  the  city.  It  was  finished  and 
occupied  in  1866.  The  Market  Place  is  adorned 
with  a  marble  statue  of  Christian  IV.  Another  fine 
square  is  the  Eidsvolds  Plads,  planted  with  choice 
trees  and  carpeted  with  intensely  bright  greensward. 
The  chief  street  is  the  Carl  Johannes  Gade,  a  broad 
boulevard  extending  from  the  railroad  station  to  the 
King's  Palace,  half  way  between  which  stands  the 
imposing  structure  of  the  University.  Opposite  this 
edifice  is  the  Public  Garden,  where  an  out-door  con- 
cert is  given  during  the  summer  evenings  by  a  mili- 
tary band.  In  a  large  wooden  building  behind  the 
University  is  kept  that  great  unrivalled  curiosity,  the 
Viking  ship,  a  souvenir  of  more  than  nine  hundred 


AN  ANCIENT    VIKING   SHIP.  65 

years  ago.  The  blue  clay  of  the  disti-ict  where  it  was 
exhumed  in  1880,  a  few  miles  south  from  Christiania 
at  Gokstad,  has  i)reserved  it  nearly  intact.  The  men 
who  built  the  graceful  lines  of  this  now  crumbling 
vessel,  "  in  some  remote  and  dateless  day,"  knew 
([uitc  as  much  of  the  principles  of  marine  architecture 
as  do  our  modern  shipwrights  of  to-day.  This  inter- 
esting relic,  doubtless  the  oldest  ship  in  the  world, 
once  served  the  Yikings,  its  masters,  as  a  Avar-craft. 
It  is  eighty  feet  long  by  sixteen  wide,  and  is  about 
six  feet  deep  from  gunwale  to  keel.  Seventy  shields, 
spears,  and  other  war  equipments  recovered  with 
the  hull  show  that  it  was  designed  for  that  number 
of  fighting  men.  A  curious  thrill  is  felt  by  one 
while  regarding  these  ancient  weapons  and  armor, 
accompanied  by  a  wish  that  they  might  speak  and 
reveal  their  long-hidden  story.  In  such  vessels  as 
this  the  dauntless  Northmen  made  voyages  to  every 
country  in  Europe,  and  as  is  confidently  believed  they 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  discovering  North  America  cen- 
turies before  the  name  of  Columbus  was  known.  Ig- 
noring the  halo  of  romance  and  chivalry  which  the 
poets  have  thrown  about  the  valiant  Vikings  and 
their  followers,  one  thing  we  are  compelled  to  admit : 
they  were  superb  marine  architects.  Ten  centuries 
of  progressive  civilization  have  served  to  produce 
none  better.  Some  of  the  arts  and  sciences  may  and 
do  exhibit  great  progress  in  excellence,  but  shipbuild- 
ing is  not  among  them.  We  build  bigger  but  not 
better  vessels.     This   ancient  galley  of  oak,  in  the 


66  DUE  NORTH. 

beauty  of  its  lines,  its  adaptability  for  speed,  and  its 
general  sea-worthiness,  cannot  be  surpassed  by  our 
best  naval  constructors  to-day.  An  American  naval 
officer  who  chanced  to  be  present  with  the  author, 
declared  that  there  were  points  about  this  exhumed 
vessel  which  indicated  retrogression  rather  than  pro- 
gress on  the  part  of  modern  builders  of  sea-going 
craft.  The  bent  timbers  on  the  inside  are  of  natural 
growth,  the  sheathing  boards  are  an  inch  and  a  half 
in  thickness,  firmly  riveted,  the  iron  bolts  clinched  on 
either  end.  Near  the  gunwales  the  bolts  are  of  oak. 
The  planking  slightly  overlaps,  being  bevelled  for  the 
purpose ;  that  is,  the  hull  is  what  we  technically  call 
clinker-built,  and  would  probably  draw  about  four  feet 
of  water  in  a  sea-going  trim.  The  bow  and  stern  are 
of  the  same  pointed  shape,  and  rise  a  considerable  dis- 
tance above  the  waist,  giving  the  vessel  what  sailors 
term  a  deep  sheer  inboard. 

The  burial  of  this  ship  so  many  centuries  ago  was 
simply  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  those  days. 
When  any  great  sea-king  perished,  he  was  enclosed  in 
the  cabin  of  his  galley,  and  either  sunk  in  the  ocean  or 
buried  with  his  vessel  and  all  of  its  war-like  appoint- 
ments upon  the  nearest  suitable  spot  of  land.  In 
this  instance,  as  has  been  intimated,  weapons  of  war 
were  buried  with  the  deceased,  just  as  our  Indian 
tribes  of  western  America  do  to  this  day.  Tombs 
dating  much  farther  back  than  the  period  when  this 
sepulchral  ship  was  buried  have  been  opened  in  both 
Norway  and  Sweden,  showing  that  the   dead  were 


ANCIENT   TOMBS  AND  BURIAL   RITES.       67 

sometimes  burned  and  sometimes  buried  in  coffins. 
Tlic  cinerary  urns  were  usually  found  to  have  been 
either  of  terra-cotta  or  of  bronze,  —  seldom,  however, 
of  the  latter  material.  In  these  tombs  trinkets  and 
weapons  were  also  discovered,  with  the  skeletons  of 
horses  and  other  domestic  animals.  To  the  period  of 
these  burials  belong  the  earliest  Runic  inscriptions, 
differing  materially  from  those  which  were  in  use  a 
few  centuries  later.  One  may  believe  much  or  little 
of  the  extravagant  stories  handed  down  by  tradition 
concerning  these  ancient  Scandinavians,  but  certainly 
we  have  tangible  evidence  in  these  tombs  that  some 
of  the  legends  are  literally  true.  We  are  told  that 
when  a  chieftain  died  in  battle,  not  only  were  his  war- 
horse,  his  gold  and  silver  plate,  and  his  money  placed 
upon  his  funeral  pyre,  but  that  a  guard  of  honor  from 
among  his  followers  slew  themselves,  that  he  might 
enter  the  sacred  halls  of  Odin  properly  attended.  The 
more  elevated  the  chief  the  larger  was  the  number 
who  must  sacrifice  themselves  as  his  escort  to  the 
land  of  bliss.  So  infinite  was  the  reliance  of  the 
Heathen  horde  in  their  strange  faith,  that,  far  from 
considering  their  fate  to  be  a  hard  one,  they  adopted 
its  extremest  requirements  with  songs  of  joy  ! 

A  general  aspect  of  good  order,  thrift,  industry, 
and  prosperity  prevails  at  Christiania.  The  simplicity 
of  dress  and  the  gentle  manners,  especially  among  the 
female  ])ortion  of  the  community,  were  marked  fea- 
tures. No  stranger  can  fail  to  notice  the  low,  sym- 
pathetic tones  in  which  the  women  always  speak ;  but 


68  DUE  NORTH. 

though  decorous  and  worthy,  it  must  be  admitted  that 
the  Norwegian  ladies  are  not  handsome.  The  people 
resort  to  the  ramparts  of  the  old  castle  as  a  prome- 
nade, with  its  grateful  shade  of  lime-trees,  and  they 
also  throng  the  pleasant  Central  Park  near  the  Royal 
Palace.  One  sees  here  none  of  the  rush  and  fever 
of  living  which  so  wearies  the  observer  in  many  of 
the  southern  cities  of  Europe,  —  notably  in  Paris,  Lon- 
don, and  Vienna.  The  common  people  evince  more 
solidity  of  character  with  less  of  the  frivolities,  and 
yet  without  any  of  the  frosty  chill  of  Puritanism. 
They  may  be  said  to  he  a  trifle  slow  and  phlegmatic, 
but  by  no  means  stupid.  The  most  careless  school- 
boy when  addressed  by  a  stranger  in  the  street  in- 
stantly removes  his  hat,  and  so  remains  until  he  has 
fully  responded  to  the  inquiry  made  of  him,  showing 
thus  the  instinctive  politeness  which  seems  to  perme- 
ate all  classes  in  Norway. 

The  long-established  Hotel  Victoria  is  an  interest- 
ing hostelry  and  museum  combined,  at  least  so  far  as 
ornithology  is  concerned.  Its  stuffed  varieties  of  na- 
tive birds  disposed  in  natural  positions  here  and  there 
about  the  establishment,  would  prove  the  envy  of  any 
collector  in  this  department  of  natural  history.  The 
house  is  built  about  a  spacious  court,  which  is  partly 
occupied  by  a  broad  and  lofty  marquee  or  tent,  under 
which  the  table  d^hote  is  served.  Orange-trees  and 
tropical  plants  are  gracefully  disposed,  and  creeping 
vines  give  a  sylvan  appearance  to  the  court.  The 
whole  area  is  overlooked  by  an  open   and   spacious 


.1    STEAM  KITCHEN.  69 

balcony,  where  a  band  of  musicians  during  the  season 
dispense  enhvening  music.  Tame  sparrows  and  other 
birds  ho])  about  one's  feet  dui-ing  each  meal,  even 
alighting  upon  the  chairs  and  tables  to  share  tid-bits 
with  the  guests.  The  whole  formed  a  consistent  pur- 
pose well  carried  out,  and  was  entirely  unlike  any 
hotel  whose  hospitality  we  have  shared.  There  are 
three  or  four  excellent  public  houses  besides  the  Vic- 
toria, including  the  Grand  Hotel  and  the  Scandinavia, 
the  last  two  quite  centrally  located.  We  made  our 
temporary  home  at  the  Grand,  a  spacious  and  com- 
fortable establishment. 

There  is  an  original  institution  of  a  charitable 
nature  in  the  capital,  called  a  Steam  Kitchen,  where 
food  is  cooked  upon  a  large  scale,  and  entirely  by 
steam.  This  large  establishment,  situated  on  the 
Torv  Gade,  was  built  especially  for  the  purpose  of 
benefiting  the  industrious  poor  of  the  city.  Here 
two  or  three  thousand  persons  are  daily  provided  with 
good  wholesome  dinners  at  a  minimum  charge*,  cal- 
culated to  cover  the  actual  cost.  While  hundreds  of 
persons  carry  away  food  to  their  families,  larger  num- 
bers dine  at  the  neat  tables  provided  in  the  establish- 
ment for  that  purpose.  The  inference  drawn  from  a 
casual  observation  of  the  system  was,  that  no  possible 
benevolence  of  a  practical  character  could  be  better 
conceived  or  more  judiciously  administered.  It  seemed 
to  be  the  consummation  of  a  great  charity,  robbed  of 
all  objectionable  features.  None  appeared  to  feel 
humiliated  in  availing  themselves  of  its  advantages, 


70  DUE  NORTH. 

since  all  the   supposed   cost   of  the   provisions   was 
charged  and  paid  for. 

Upon  visiting  a  new  city  in  any  part  of  the  world, 
the  writer  has  learned  more  of  its  people,  their  na- 
tional characteristics  and  all  local  matters  worth 
knowing,  by  mingling  with  the  throng,  watching  their 
every-day  habits  and  conventionalities,  observing  and 
analyzing  the  stream  of  life  pouring  through  its  great 
thoroughfares,  reading  the  expression  upon  human 
faces,  and  by  regarding  now  and  again  chance  domes- 
tic scenes,  than  from  all  the  grand  cathedrals,  art 
galleries,  show  palaces,  and  guide-books  combined. 
Years  of  travel  fatigue  one  with  the  latter,  but  never 
with  Nature  in  her  varying  moods,  with  the  peculiar- 
ities of  races,  or  with  the  manners  and  customs  of 
every-day  life  as  characterizing  each  new  locality  and 
country.  The  delight  in  natural  objects  grows  by  ex- 
perience in  every  cultivated  and  receptive  mind.  The 
rugged  architecture  of  lofty  mountains,  tumbling  water- 
falls, noble  rivers,  glowing  sunsets,  broad  land  and  sea 
views,  each  has  a  special,  never-tiring,  and  impressive 
individuality.  While  enjoying  a  bird's-eye  view  of 
Christiania  from  the  height  of  Egeberg,  a  well-wooded 
hill  four  hundred  feet  in  height  in  the  southern  sub- 
urb, it  was  difficult  to  believe  one's  self  in  Icelandic 
Scandinavia,  —  the  precise  latitude  of  the  Shetland 
Islands.  A  drowsy  hum  like  the  drone  of  bees  seemed 
to  float  up  from  the  busy  city  below.  The  beautiful 
fjord  with  its  graceful  promontories,  its  picturesque 
and  leafy  isles,  might  be  Lake  Maggiore  or  Como,  so 


ENVIRONS   OF  CIIRISTIANIA.  71 

placid  and  calm  is  its  pale-blue  surface.  Turning  the 
eyes  inland,  one  sees  clustered  in  lovely  combination 
fields  of  ripening  grain,  gardens,  lawns,  cottages,  and 
handsome  villas,  like  a  scene  upon  the  sunny  shores 
of  the  Mediterranean  near  the  foot-hills  of  the  Mari- 
time Alps.  An  abundance  of  deciduous  trees  enliven 
the  scene,  —  plane,  sycamore,  ash,  and  elm  in  luxuri- 
ant foliage.  Warmer  skies  during  the  summer  period 
are  not  to  be  found  in  Italy,  nor  elsewhere  outside  of 
Egypt.  As  we  stood  upon  the  height  of  Egeberg  that 
delicious  sunny  afternoon,  there  hung  over  and  about 
the  Norwegian  capital  a  soft  golden  haze  such  as 
lingers  in  August  above  the  Venetian  lagoons. 

The  houses  in  the  vicinity  of  Christiania  are  gen- 
erally surrounded  by  well-cultivated  gardens  embel- 
lished with  choice  fruit  and  ornamental  trees.  An 
unmistakable  aspect  of  refinement  was  obvious  about 
these  homesteads,  and  one  would  fain  have  known 
somewhat  of  the  residents  of  such  attractive  domiciles. 
The  traveller  who  passes  so  few  days  in  each  new  city, 
and  those  occu])ied  mostly  in  observations  of  a  different 
character,  can  hardly  ])retend  to  express  an  opinion 
of  the  resident  social  life  and  domestic  associations ; 
l)ut  we  were  credibly  informed  that  there  was  no 
dearth  of  circles  composed  of  intelligent,  polished, 
and  wealthy  individuals  in  Bergen,  Gottenburg,  or 
Christiania.  Evidences  of  the  truth  of  this  are  cer- 
tainly obvious  to  the  most  casual  observer.  Here, 
and  afterwards  still  farther  north,  a  tree  new  to  us 
was    found,   called    the    liiigg    (Prunus    Padus),    so 


72  DUE  NORTH. 

abundantly  clothed  in  snow-white  blossoms  as  to  en- 
tirely hide  its  leaves  of  green.  It  generally  stood  in 
the  yards  of  dwelling-houses  as  a  floral  ornament, 
and  reminded  one  of  a  New  England  apple-tree  in 
full  bloom.  The  blossoms  emitted  very  little  decided 
perfume,  but  the  luxuriant  growth  and  the  pure  white 
flower  were  very  beautiful.  A  dainty  bit  of  color  now 
and  again,  caused  by  the  single-leafed  dog-rose,  re- 
called the  inland  roads  of  far-off  Massachusetts,  where 
mingled  blackberry  and  raspberry  bushes  and  wild 
roses  so  often  line  the  quiet  paths.  The  immediate 
environs  of  the  capital  are  characterized  by  fine  pictur- 
esque elevations,  the  land  rising  gradually  on  all  sides 
until  it  becomes  quite  Alpine.  The  forest  road  lead- 
ing towards  Rynkan  Falls  was  fragrant  with  the  soft, 
soothing  odor  of  pines  and  firs,  mingled  with  that  of 
blue,  pink,  and  yellow  flowers,  blossoms  whose  local 
names  only  served  to  puzzle  us,  — "  wee,  modest, 
crimson-tipped  flowers."  The  giant  larkspur,  lilies-of- 
the-valley,  and  some  orchids  were  familiar,  and  greeted 
the  senses  like  old  friends.  The  juniper  bushes  were 
luxuriant,  and  there  were  plenty  of  bilberries  and  wild 
strawberries  in  bloom.  These  last  berries  when  ripe, 
as  we  afterwards  found  them  farther  north,  are  a 
revelation  to  the  palate,  being  quite  small,  but  of  ex- 
quisite flavor,  recalling  the  tiny  wood-strawberries 
of  New  England,  which  were  of  such  exquisite  flavor 
and  dainty  aroma  before  we  cultivated  them  into  mon- 
strosities. The  summer  is  so  short  here  as  to  give 
the  fruits  and  flowers  barely  time  to  blossom,  ripen, 


RAPID   GROWTH   OF    VEGETATION.  73 

and  fade,  or  the  husbandman  a  chance  to  gather  his 
harvest.  Vegetation  is  wonderfully  rapid  m  its 
growtli,  the  sunshine  being  so  nearly  constant  during 
the  ten  weeks  which  intervene  between  seed-time  and 
harvest.  Barley  grows  here  two  and  a  half  inches 
and  peas  three  inches  in  twenty-four  hours,  for  sev- 
eral consecutive  days.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that 
if  the  barley-seed  be  brought  from  a  warmer  climate 
it  requires  to  become  acclimated,  and  does  not  yield 
a  good  crop  until  after  two  or  three  seasons.  The 
flowers  of  the  torrid  and  temperate  zones  as  a  rule 
close  their  eye-lids  like  human  beings,  and  sleep  a 
third  or  half  of  the  twenty-four  hours ;  but  in  Arctic 
regions  life  to  these  lovely  children  of  Nature  is  one 
long  sunny  period,  and  sleep  comes  only  with  death 
and  decay.  It  was  also  observed  that  the  flowers 
here  assume  more  vivid  colors  and  emit  more  fra- 
grance during  their  brief  lives  than  in  the  south. 
The  long  delightful  period  of  twilight  during  the 
summer  season  is  seen  here  in  all  its  perfection,  full 
of  suggestiveness  and  roseate  loveliness,  which  no  pen 
can  satisfactorily  describe.  There  is  no  dew  to  be  en- 
countered and  avoided,  no  dampness.  All  is  crystal 
clearness  and  transparency,  "  gilding  pale  streams 
with   heavenly  alchemy." 

Nothing  can  be  plcasanter  or  more  exhilarating 
than  driving  over  the  Norwegian  roads  among  the 
dark  pine  forests  or  by  the  side  of  dashing  torrents 
and  swift-gliding,  seething  rivers.  The  roads  are 
kept  in  perfect  condition  upon  all  of  the  regular  post- 


74  DUE  NORTH. 

routes,  and  one  rolls  over  them  in  the  native  carriole 
nearly  as  smoothly  as  though  navigating  a  lake  in  a 
well-manned  boat.  The  little  horses,  almost  univer- 
sally of  a  dun-color  and  having  their  manes  cropped 
short,  are  wiry  and  full  of  life  and  courage,  dashing 
down  the  hills  at  a  seemingly  reckless  pace,  which 
carries  the  vehicle  half  way  up  the  next  rising  ground 
by  the  mere  impetus  of  the  descent.  It  was  particu- 
larly gratifying  to  observe  the  physical  condition  of 
the  horses  both  inland  and  in  the  streets  of  Christi- 
ania,  all  being  in  good  flesh.  Not  a  lame  or  poor 
animal  was  to  be  found  among  them,  either  in  hack, 
dray,  or  country-produce  cart.  They  are  mostly  pony- 
shaped,  rather  short  in  the  legs,  few  standing  over 
fourteen  hands,  and  generally  even  less ;  but  yet 
they  are  strong,  tough,  and  round  in  form.  It  was 
pleasing  to  observe  the  drivers,  who  seemed  also  to 
be  the  owners,  of  these  animals.  When  they  came 
from  the  house  or  establishment  where  their  business 
called  them,  they  would  often  take  some  appetizing 
trifle  from  their  pockets,  —  a  small  apple,  a  lump  of 
sugar,  or  bit  of  bread,  —  and  tender  it  to  the  waiting 
horse,  who  was  evidently  on  the  look-out  for  sucli  a 
favor.  The  good  fellowship  established  between  the 
animal  and  his  master  was  complete,  and  both  worked 
the  more  effectively  together.  No  observant  person 
can  fail  to  see  what  docility  and  intelligence  kindness 
to  any  domestic  animal  is  sure  to  elicit,  while  brutality 
and  harshness  induce  only  reluctant  and  inefficient 
service.     If  the  whip  is  used  at  all  upon  these  faithful 


AFFECTION  FOR    THE    UNITED   STATES.       ti> 

animals  it  must  bo  very  uncommon,  since  a  watchful- 
ness in  regard  to  the  matter  did  not  discover  a  single 
instance.  When  a  driver  has  occasion  to  stop  before 
a  house  and  leave  his  horse,  he  takes  one  turn  of  the 
rein  about  the  animal's  near  fore-foot  and  secures  the 
long  end  loosely  to  the  shaft.  Custom  has  taught 
the  horses  that  this  process  ties  them  to  the  sjjot,  and 
they  do  not  attempt  to  move  away  under  any  circum- 
stances. Insects  during  the  brief  but  intense  heat  of 
summer  are  very  troublesome  to  animals  exposed  to 
their  bite,  and  so  the  Norwegian  horses  are  all  wisely 
permitted  to  wear  long  tails  as  a  partial  defence 
against  flies  and  gnats.  The  price  at  which  they  are 
valued  is  very  moderate.  A  nicely-matched  pair, 
quite  sound,  young,  and  wtII  broken  for  pleasure 
driving,  can  be  purchased  for  three  hundred  dollars 
or  less. 

Between  Christiania  and  Stockholm  the  railroad 
follows  almost  a  straight  line  due  east  across  southern 
Norway  and  Sweden  through  a  country  dotted  over 
with  little  hamlets  of  a  dozen  houses  more  or  less, 
occupied  by  thrifty  farmers.  The  people  are  of  a 
social,  kindly  disposition,  but  to  be  known  among 
them  as  an  American  insures  instant  service,  together 
with  unlimited  hospitality.  Nearly  every  family  has 
one  or  more  representatives  living  in  the  United 
States,  and  the  very  name  of  America  is  regarded  by 
them  with  tenderness.  A  large  percentage  of  the 
young  people  look  forward  to  the  time  when  they 
shall    eventually   make    it    their    permanent    home. 


76  DUE  NORTH. 

Emigration  is  neither  promoted  nor  discouraged  by  the 
Government.  Norway  seems  generally  to  be  more 
fertile  than  Sweden.  True,  she  has  her  numerous 
mountains,  but  between  them  are  far-reaching  and 
beautiful  valleys,  while  the  sister  country  with  less 
elevations  has  a  soil  of  rather  a  sandy  nature,  much 
less  productive.  But  intelligent  farming  overcomes 
heavy  drawbacks  ;  and  there  are  large  tracts  of  land 
in  Sweden  that  are  rendered  quite  remunerative 
through  the  adoption  of  modern  methods  of  cultiva- 
tion. Immediately  about  the  railroad  stations  on  all 
the  Scandinavian  railroads  there  are  fine  gardens, 
often  ornamented  with  fountains,  bird-houses,  bloom- 
ing flowers,  and  miniature  cascades.  Some  of  the 
combinations  of  floral  colors  into  graceful  figures 
showed  the  hand  of  experienced  gardeners.  Most  of 
these  station-houses,  all  of  which  are  constructed  of 
wood,  are  extremely  picturesque,  built  in  chalet  style, 
rather  over-ornamented  by  fancy  carvings  and  high 
colors,  yet  well  adapted  in  the  main  for  their  special 
purpose.  The  Government  owns  and  operates  three 
quarters  of  all  the  railroads  in  either  country,  and 
will  doubtless  ere  long,  as  we  were  assured,  control  the 
entire  system. 

In  the  rural  districts  women  are  very  generally  em- 
l)loycd  upon  out-of-door  work,  as  they  are  in  Germany 
and  Italy,  and  there  is  quite  a  preponderance  of  the 
sex  in  both  Norway  and  Sweden.  It  was  the  haying 
and  harvesting  season  when  the  author  passed  over 
the  principal  routes,  and  the  fields  showed  four  times 


WOMEN'S    WORK.      A    SyETER.  77 


loading  heavy  carts,  and  getting  in  the  harvest  gener- 
ally. What  would  our  New  England  farmers  think 
to  see  a  woman  swing  a  scythe  all  day  in  the  hay- 
ing season,  cutting  as  broad  and  true  a  swath  as  a 
man  can  do,  and  ap])arently  with  as  little  fatigue! 
Labor  is  very  poorly  paid  ;  forty  cents  per  day  is  con- 
sidered liberal  wages  for  a  man  except  in  the  cities, 
where  a  small  increase  is  realized  upon  this  amount. 
The  houses  all  through  Norway  outside  of  the  towns 
are  built  of  logs,  well-matched  and  smoothly  finished, 
laid  horizontally  one  upon  another,  like  our  frontier 
cabins  in  the  far  West.  Each  farm,  besides  the  home 
acres,  has  also  connected  with  it  ^vliat  is  termed  a 
"  saeter,"  being  a  tract  of  mountain  pasture,  where  a 
portion  of  the  young  members  of  the  family  (usually 
the  girls  only)  pass  the  nine  or  ten  weeks  of  summer 
engaged  in  cheese-making,  the  cattle  being  kept  on  the 
hills  for  that  period.  Here  a  very  rude  hut  with  but 
two  apartments  serves  for  the  girls,  and  a  rough  shed 
for  the  cattle  at  night.  The  outer  apartment  of  the 
hut  contains  a  stove,  a  table,  and  a  coarse  bed,  forming 
the  living-room,  while  the  inner  one  is  improved  for  the 
dairy.  The  available  soil  about  the  home  farm  in  the 
valley  must  raise  hay  and  grain  for  the  long  winter's 
use.  After  being  milked  in  the  morning,  at  the  saeter, 
the  cows,  goats,  and  sheep  go  directly  to  their  allotted 
feeding  ground,  perhaps  more  than  a  mile  away,  and 
at  the  evening  hour  they  by  themselves  as  surely 
return  to  be  milked.     The  only  inducement  for  such 


78  DUE  NORTH. 

regularity  on  the  part  of  the  intelligent  creatures,  so 
far  as  we  could  understand,  was  a  few  liandfuls  of 
salt  which  was  given  them  nightly,  and  of  which  they 
seemed  to  be  very  fond.  Great  exertion  is  made  by 
the  girls  in  the  mountains  to  excel  one  another  as  to 
the  aggregate  production  of  cheese  for  the  season, 
much  pride  being  felt  also  in  the  quality  of  the  article. 
The  sturdy  figures  and  healthy  blooming  faces  of 
these  girls,  "  with  cheeks  like  apples  which  the  sun 
has  ruddied,"  showed  what  physical  charms  the  bra- 
chig  mountain  air  and  a  simple  manner  of  life  in  these 
regions  is  capable  of  producing. 

Norway  has  been  appropriately  called  the  country 
of  mountains  and  fjords,  of  cascades  and  lakes. 
Among  the  largest  of  the  latter  is  Lake  Mjosen, 
which  is  about  sixty  miles  long  and  has  an  average 
width  of  twelve.  It  is  certainly  a  very  remarkable 
body  of  water.  It  receives  into  its  bosom  one  impor- 
tant river,  the  Lougen,  after  it  has  run  a  course  of 
nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  At  its  southern 
extremity  is  the  port  of  Eidsvold,  and  at  the  northern 
is  Lillehammer.  These  are  situated  in  the  direct 
route  between  Christiania  and  Trondhjem.  But  the 
most  singular  fact  attached  to  the  lake  is  that  it 
measures  over  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  depth,  while 
its  surface  is  four  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
ocean.  Its  bottom  is  known  to  be  nearly  a  thousand 
feet  below  that  of  the  North  Sea,  which  would  seem 
to  show  that  it  must  be  the  mouth  of  some  long- 
extinct  volcano.     Neither  glacial  action  nor  any  other 


THE   FAUNA    OF  NORWAY.  79 

])liysical  agent  known  to  us  can  have  dug  an  abrupt 
hole  eight  or  ten  hundred  feet  deep  ;  and  yet  there  are 
also  some  dry  valleys  in  Norway  whose  bottoms  are 
considerably  below  tliat  of  the  sea.  The  river  Mesna 
tumbles  boisterously  into  the  lake  close  to  Lillcham- 
mer.  A  walk  beside  its  thickly-wooded  banks  brings 
to  view  many  beautiful  cascades  and  waterfalls,  some 
of  which  are  worthier  of  a  visit  than  many  of  the 
more  famous  falls  of  Scandinavia.  On  all  the  im- 
portant inland  routes  not  furnished  with  railroad  or 
steamboat  transit  Government  supports  a  system  of 
postal  service,  whereby  one  can  easily  travel  in  almost 
any  desired  direction.  On  such  excursions  the  keen 
air  and  free  exercise  are  apt  to  endow  the  traveller 
with  an  excellent  appetite,  which  Norwegian  fare 
is  not  quite  calculated  to  assuage.  However,  the 
milk  is  almost  always  good,  and  eggs  are  generally 
to  be  had.  Even  hard  black  bread  will  yield  to  a 
hammer,  after  which  it  can  be  soaked  in  milk  and 
thus  rendered  eatable.  One  docs  not  come  hither 
in  search  of  delicate  and  appetizing  food,  but  rather 
to  stand  face  to  face  wdth  Nature  in  her  wildest  and 
most  rugged  moods.  The  pleasures  of  the  table  are 
better  sought  in  the  big  capitals  of  southern  Europe 
or  America,  where  '^  rich  food  and  heavy  groans  go 
together." 

As  to  the  fauna  of  Norway,  the  reindeer,  the  bear, 
the  wolf,  the  fox,  and  the  lynx  about  complete  the  list 
of  indigenous  animals.  The  ubiquitous  crow  abounds; 
and  fine  specimens  of  the  golden  eagle,  that  dignified 


80  DUE   NORTH. 

monarch  of  the  upper  regions,  may  occasionally  be 
seen  sailing  through  the  air  from  cliff  to  cliff,  across 
the  fjords  and  valleys.  At  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
this  bird  proves  destructive  to  domestic  fowls  and 
young  lambs.  But  we  escaped  in  Norway  the  almost 
inevitable  legend  of  a  young  child  having  been  carried 
off  by  an  eagle  to  its  nearly  inaccessible  nest ;  that 
story  is  still  monopolized  by  Switzerland.  For  some 
reason  not  quite  understood  by  the  author,  the  mis- 
chievous magpie  is  here  held  as  half  sacred.  That  is 
to  say,  the  country  people  have  a  superstition  that  any 
injury  inflicted  upon  these  birds  entails  misfortune 
upon  him  who  causes  it ;  and  yet  the  Government 
offers  a  premium  for  their  destruction.  Magpies  ap- 
pear to  be  as  much  of  a  nuisance  in  Norway  as  crows 
are  in  India  or  Ceylon,  and  to  be  quite  as  unmolested 
by  the  people  generally.  What  are  called  the  wild 
birds  of  Scandinavia  are  in  fact  remarkably  tame,  and 
they  embrace  a  large  variety.  As  the  traveller  pro- 
ceeds through  the  country,  he  will  observe  sheaves  of 
unthrashed  grain  elevated  upon  poles  beside  the  farm- 
houses and  barns,  which  are  designed  to  furnish  the 
feathered  visitors  with  food.  These  sheaves  are  regu- 
larly renewed  all  through  the  winter  season ;  otherwise 
the  birds  would  starve.  The  confiding  little  creatures 
know  their  friends,  and  often  enter  the  houses  for  pro- 
tection from  the  severity  of  the  weather.  Neither  man, 
woman,  nor  child  would  think  of  disturbing  them,  for 
they  are  considered  as  bringing  good  luck  to  the  prem- 
ises which  they  visit.    The  bounty  paid  for  the  dcstruc- 


SNOW-CAPPED  MOUNTAINS.  81 

tion  of  bcnrs  and  wolves  in  1885  showed  that  nearly 
two  hundred  of  each  species  of  these  animals  were 
killed  by  the  hunters.  Bears  are  believed  to  be  gradu- 
ally decreasing,  but  wolves  are  still  very  numerous  in 
the  northerly  regions  and  the  thickly-wooded  middle 
districts.  In  extreme  seasons,  when  pressed  by 
hunger,  they  prove  destructive  to  the  reindeer  herds 
of  the  Lapps  in  spite  of  every  ordinary  precaution, 
and  even  in  the  summer  season  farmers  never  leave 
their  sheep  unguarded  when  they  are  pastured  away 
from  the  homestead. 

In  journeying  from  the  capital  to  Trondhjem 
(where  the  steamer  is  taken  for  the  North  Cape)  by 
the  way  of  Lillehammer,  one  crosses  the  Dovrcfjcld, 
or  mountain  plateau ;  but  a  more  popular  route  is  by 
rail  from  city  to  city.  This  fjeld  lies  a  little  above 
the  sixty-second  parallel  of  latitude,  and  is  about  one 
third  of  the  distance  from  the  southern  to  the  northern 
extreme  of  the  country,  which  reaches  from  the  fifty- 
eighth  to  the  seventy-first  parallel.  The  famous  eleva- 
tion called  the  Sneehaettan  —  "  Snow  Hat  "  —  forms 
a  part  of  this  Alpine  range,  and  is  one  of  the  loftiest 
in  Norway,  falling  little  short  of  eight  thousand  feet 
in  altitude.  To  be  exact,  it  ranks  sixth  among  the 
Scandinavian  mountains.  It  should  be  remembered 
that  one  eighth  of  the  country  lies  within  the  region 
of  perpetual  snow,  and  that  these  lofty  and  nearly 
inaccessible  heights  are  robed  in  a  constant  garb  of 
bridal  whiteness.  No  other  part  of  Europe  or  any 
inhabited  portion  of  the  globe  has  such  enormous 
G 


82  DUE  NORTH. 

glaciers  or  snowfields,  unless  possibly  some  portions 
of  Alaska.  Here  in  Norway  are  glaciers  which  cover 
from  four  to  five  hundred  square  miles,  descending 
from  plateaus  three  and  four  thousand  feet  in  height 
down  to  very  near  sea-level,  as  in  the  instance  of  the 
mammoth  Svartisen  glacier,  which  is  visited  by  all 
travellers  to  the  North  Cape.  Arctic  and  Alpine 
flowers  abound  in  the  region  of  the  Dovrefjeld,  — 
and  glacial  flowers  are  abundant,  though  not  so  much 
so  as  in  the  more  frequently  visited  snow  regions  of 
Switzerland.  As  the  ice  and  snow  recede  in  the  early 
summer,  the  plants  spring  up  with  magic  promptness, 
so  that  within  a  few  yards  the  same  species  are  seen  in 
successive  stages  of  growth,  spring  and  summer  flow- 
ers blooming  side  by  side  in  rather  forced  companion- 
ship. The  blue  gentians  are  extremely  lovely,  and  are 
among  the  first  to  appear  after  the  mantle  of  snow  is 
lifted  from  the  awaking  earth.  The  most  remarkable 
and  abundant  of  the  spring  flowers  however  is  the 
linncea  horealis,  thus  appropriately  named  after  the 
great  Swedish  botanist  and  naturalist.  It  is  a  long, 
low-creeping  plant  bearing  a  pink  blossom,  and  is 
in  full  bloom  early  in  July,  luxuriating  all  over  the 
Scandinavian  peninsula.  Harebells  nodding  upon 
their  delicate  stems,  primroses,  snowdrops,  and  small 
blue  pansies  are  also  common.  In  the  southern 
districts  roses  of  various  species  thrive  in  glorious 
profusion  in  the  open  air  annually  during  the  short 
genial  period,  and  also  as  domestic  favorites  during 
the  long  night   of  winter,  adorning  and  perfuming 


THE  MOUNTAINS   OF  SCANDINAVIA.  83 

the  living-rooms  of   the  people  of  every  class  in  town 
and  country. 

Though  the  highest  point  in  Norway  or  Sweden  is 
only  about  eighty-five  hundred  feet  above  sea-level, 
an  elevation  which  is  reached  only  by  the  Jotunfjeld, 
or  Giant  Mountain,  still  no  highlands  in  Europe 
surpass  those  of  Scandinavia  in  terrific  and  savage 
grandeur,  "  rocked-ribbed  and  ancient  as  the  sun." 
Mont  Blanc  is  fully  one  third  higher  than  this  Giant 
Mountain,  but  being  less  abrupt  is  hardly  so  striking 
and  effective  in  aspect.  The  grand  elevations  of 
Norway  are  intersected  by  deep  dark  gorges  and 
fearful  chasms,  roaring  with  impetuous  torrents  and 
enormous  w^aterfalls,  and  affording  an  abundance  of 
such  scenes  as  would  have  inspired  the  pencil  of  Sal- 
vator  Rosa.  The  mountain  system  here  does  not 
form  a  continuous  range,  but  consists  of  a  succession 
of  plateaus  like  the  Dovrefjeld,  and  of  detached  moun- 
tains rising  from  elevated  bases.  The  length  of  this 
series  of  peculiar  elevations  —  mountains  and  plateaus 
—  is  that  of  the  entire  peninsula,  from  the  North  Cape 
to  Christiansand  on  the  Skager  Rack,  some  twelve 
hundred  miles,  having  an  average  width  of  about  two 
hundred  miles,  —  which  gives  to  the  mountains  of 
Norway  and  Sweden  an  area  larger  than  the  Alps,  the 
Apennines,  and  the  Pyrenees  combined,  while  the  lakes, 
waterfalls,  and  cascades  far  surpass  those  of  the  rest 
of  Europe.  There  is  no  other  country  where  so  large 
a  portion  is  covered  with  august  mountains  as  in 
Norway.     It  includes  an  area  of  about  one  hundred 


84  DUE  NORTH. 

and  twenty-three  thousand  square  miles ;  and  it  has 
been  said  by  those  most  familiar  with  its  topography, 
that  could  it  be  flattened  out  it  would  make  as  large 
a  division  of  the  earth  as  would  any  of  the  four 
principal  continents.  The  ratio  of  arable  land  to  the 
entire  area  of  Norway  is  not  more  than  one  to  ten, 
and  were  it  not  that  the  support  of  the  people  at  large 
comes  mainly  from  the  sea,  the  country  could  not 
sustain  one  quarter  of  even  its  present  sparse  popula- 
tion. Undismayed  by  the  preponderance  of  rocks, 
cliffs,  and  chasms,  the  people  utilize  every  available 
rod  of  land.  Here  and  there  are  seen  wire  ropes 
extending  from  the  low  lands  to  the  mountain  sides, 
the  upper  ends  of  which  are  lost  to  sight,  and  which 
are  used  for  sliding  down  bundles  of  compressed  hay 
after  it  has  been  cut,  made,  and  packed  in  places 
whither  only  men  accustomed  to  scale  precipices 
could  possibly  climb.  The  aspect  of  such  regions  is 
severe  and  desolate  in  the  extreme,  even  when  viewed 
beneath  the  cheering  smiles  of  a  summer  sun.  What 
then  must  be  their  appearance  during  the  long,  trying 
winter  of  these  hyperborean  regions?  In  snug  cor- 
ners, sheltered  by  friendly  rocks  and  cliffs  from  the 
prevailing  winds,  are  seen  little  clusters  of  cabins 
inhabited  by  a  few  lowly  people  who  live  in  seeming 
content,  and  who  rear  families  amid  almost  incredible 
deprivations  and  climatic  disadvantages,  causing  one 
to  wonder  at  their  hardihood  and  endurance.  It  is 
not  uncommon  to  sec  along  the  west  coast  of  Nor- 
way,  among   the   islands   and    upon   the   main-land. 


HOMES   ON  ALPINE  HEIGHTS.  85 

farm-houses  surrounded  by  a  few  low  buildings  of 
the  rudest  character,  perched  among  rocks  away  up 
on  some  lofty  green  terrace,  so  high  indeed  as  to  make 
them  seem  scarcely  larger  than  an  eagle's  nest.  To 
anybody  but  a  mountaineer  these  spots  are  positively 
inaccessible,  and  every  article  of  subsistence,  except 
what  is  raised  upon  the  few  acres  of  available  earth 
surrounding  the  house,  must  be  carried  up  thither 
upon  men's  backs,  for  not  even  a  mule  could  climb  to 
these  regions.  A  few  goats  and  sheep  must  consti- 
tute the  entire  animal  stock  which  such  a  spot  can 
boast,  with  perhaps  a  few  domestic  fowls.  These 
dwellings  have  been  constructed  of  logs  cut  in  some 
of  the  sheltered  gulches  near  at  hand  and  drawn  to 
the  spot  with  infinite  labor,  one  by  one.  It  would 
seem  that  such  persistent  and  energetic  industry  ap- 
plied in  more  inviting  neighborhoods  would  have 
insured  better  results.  What  must  life  be  passed  in 
such  an  isolated,  exposed  ])lace,  in  a  climate  where 
the  ground  is  covered  with  snow  for  nine  months  of 
each  year !  Some  few  of  these  eyries  have  bridle- 
paths leading  up  to  them  which  are  barely  passable ; 
and  yet  such  arc  thought  by  the  occupants  to  be 
especially  favored. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Ancient  Capital  of  Norway.  —  Koutes  of  Travel.  —  Rain  !  —  Peasant 
Costumes.  —  Commerce  of  Bergen.  —  Shark's  vs.  Cod  Liver  Oil.  — 
Ship-Building.  —  Public  Edifices.  —  Quaint  Shops.  —  Borgund 
Church.  —  Leprosy  in  Norway.  —  Sporting  Country.  —  Inland  Ex- 
periences. —  Hay-Making.  —  Pine-Forest  Experiences.  —  National 
Constitution.  —  People's  Schools.  —  Girls'  Industrial  School.  —  Cele- 
brated Citizens  of  Bergen.  —  Two  Grand  Norwegian  Fjords.  — 
Kemarkable  Glaciers. 


Bergen  is  situated  some  two  hundred  miles  north- 
west of  Christiania,  and  may  be  reached  from  thence 
by  a  carriole  journey  across  the  country  over  excellent 
roads,  or  by  steamboat  doubling  the  Naze.  The  latter 
route,  though  three  times  as  far,  is  often  adopted  by 
travellers  as  being  less  expensive  and  troublesome. 
Still  another  and  perhaps  the  most  common  route  tak- 
en by  tourists  is  that  by  way  of  Lake  Mjosen,  Gjoveg, 
the  Fillefjcld  and  Laerdalsoren,  on  the  Sognefjord. 
This  is  called  the  Valders  route,  and  affords  by  far  the 
greatest  variety  of  scenery.  It  involves  railroad, 
steamer,  and  carriole  modes  of  conveyance,  and  in  all 
covers  a  distance  of  at  least  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Bergen  was  the 
capital  of  Norway  when  it  was  under  Danish  rule,  and 
was  long  afterwards  the  commercial  rival  of  Christi- 
ania.    Indeed,  its  shipping  interests  we  were  informed 


BERGEN.  87 

still  exceed  those  of  the  ciii)ital,  the  verity  of  which 
statement  one  is  inclined  to  question.  The  period  of 
its  greatest  prosperity  was  in  the  Middle  Ages  and 
during  the  century  when  the  great  Hanseatic  League 
nourished,  at  which  time  there  w^as  a  numerous  Ger- 
nuin  colony  resident  here.  The  town  appears  very 
ancient,  and  naturally  so,  as  it  dates  back  to  the 
eleventh  century.  JMany  of  the  dwellings  are  quaint 
with  sharp-peaked  roofs  and  gable-ends  toward  the 
streets.  The  boats  which  ply  in  the  harbor  and 
throng  the  wharves  differ  but  little  from  the  style  of 
those  used  by  the  Norse  pirates  a  thousand  years  ago, 
and  who  congregated  in  force  about  these  very  shores. 
The  oldest  part  of  the  city  lies  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
harbor  Avhcre  the  fortress  of  Bergenhuus  and  the  double- 
towered  Maria  Kirke  are  situated.  The  inhabitants  are 
not  amphibious,  but  they  certainly  ought  to  be,  since  it 
rains  here  five  days  out  of  every  seven.  Some  one  has 
aptly  called  it  the  fatherland  of  drizzle,  "  where  the 
hooded  clouds,  like  friars,  tell  their  beads  in  drops  of 
rain."  The  first  and  foremost  business  of  the  place, 
therefore,  is  dealing  in  umbrellas  and  water-proof 
clothing.  We  did  not  observe  any  special  crest  as  in- 
dicating the  corporate  arms  of  the  city,  but  if  such  a 
design  exists,  it  should  be  surmounted  by  a  full-length 
figure  of  Jujjiter  Pluvius.  We  were  assured  that  the 
rain-fall  here  averages  six  feet  annually.  There  is  a 
tradition  of  sunny  days  having  occurred  in  Bergen,  but 
much  patience  and  long  waiting  are  necessary  to  verify 
it.     Still  there  is  plenty  of  life  and  business  activity 


88  DUE  NORTH. 

in  the  broad  clean  streets,  and  more  especially  in  and 
about  the  wharves  and  shipping. 

One  sees  here  more  of  the  traditional  Norwegian 
costumes  than  are  to  be  met  with  either  at  Gottenburg 
or  Christiania.  Some  of  the  old  men  who  came  from 
the  inland  villages  were  particularly  noticeable,  form- 
ing vivid  and  artistic  groups,  with  their  long  snowy 
hair  flowing  freely  about  face  and  neck  in  the  most 
patriarchal  fashion.  They  wore  red-worsted  caps, 
open  shirt-collars,  knee-breeches,  and  jackets  and  vests 
decked  with  a  profusion  of  silver  buttons,  like  a 
Basque  postilion.  The  women  wear  black  jackets, 
bright-red  bodices  and  scarlet  petticoats,  with  white 
linen  aprons.  On  the  street  called  the  Strandgade 
many  Norse  costumes  mingle  togetlier  like  colors  in 
a  kaleidoscope.  Our  guide  pointed  out  one  group, 
which  was  perhaps  more  strongly  individualized  than 
the  rest,  as  coming  from  the  Tellemark  district. 
Various  nationalities  were  also  represented,  not  for- 
getting the  despised  and  much  persecuted  Jews,  who 
are  nearly  as  unpopular  in  Scandinavia  as  they  are  in 
Germany  and  Russia.  The  Strandgade  is  the  longest 
thoroughfare  in  the  city,  and  runs  parallel  with  the  har- 
bor. By  turning  to  the  left  after  reaching  the  custom- 
house and  passing  up  the  rising  ground,  one  reaches 
the  Observatory,  from  whence  a  line  view  of  Bergen 
and  its  environs  is  obtained.  The  dusky  red-tiled 
roofs  crowded  together,  the  square  wooden  towers  of 
the  churches  mingled  with  the  public  gardens  dressed 
in  warmest  verdure,  form  altogether  a  quaint  and  im- 


SHARK 'S-LIVER   OIL.  89 

prcssivc  picture.  The  town  rises  from  the  bay  nearly 
in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  nestling  at  the  feet  of  the 
surrounding  hills  on  the  west  coast  of  Norway,  be- 
tween those  two  broad  and  famous  arms  of  the  sea, 
the  Sognefjord  and  the  Hardangerfjord.  The  first 
named  indents  the  coast  to  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  six  miles,  the  latter  seventy  miles,  —  the  first  being 
north,  and  the  last  south  of  Bergen.  The  excellent 
situation  of  the  harbor  and  its  direct  steam  communi- 
cation with  European  ports  give  this  ancient  city  an 
extensive  commerce  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
inhabitants,  who  do  not  aggregate  more  than  forty 
thousand.  A  large  portion  of  the  town  is  built  upon 
a  promontory,  and  between  it  and  the  main-land  on 
its  north  side  is  the  harbor,  which  is  rarely  frozen 
over  owing  to  the  influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  while 
the  harbor  of  St.  Petersburg,  in  about  the  same  lati- 
tude, is  annually  closed  by  ice  for  at  least  three 
months. 

The  staple  commodity  of  Bergen  is  dried  fish,  mostly 
cod,  supplemented  by  large  quantities  of  cod-liver  oil, 
lumber,  and  wood  for  fuel.  It  may  not  be  generally 
known  that  a  considerable  portion  of  what  is  denom- 
inated cod-liver  oil  is  produced  from  sharks'  livers, 
which  in  fact  are  believed  to  be  characterized  by  the 
same  medicinal  qualities  as  are  those  of  the  cod.  At 
any  rate,  with  this  object  sharks  are  sought  for  along 
the  upper  coast  of  Norway  in  the  region  of  the  Lofo- 
dcns,  and  their  livers  are  employed  as  described.  An 
average-sized  shark,  we  were  told,  will  yield  thirty 


90  DUE  NORTH. 

gallons  of  good  merchantable  oil,  but  the  article  could 
not  obtain  a  market  except  under  the  popular  name  of 
cod-liver  oil.  Catching  the  sharks  is  not  an  employ- 
ment entirely  devoid  of  danger,  as  they  are  often  found 
to  be  large  and  very  powerful,  measuring  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  feet  in  length.  The  shark  like  the  whale, 
when  it  is  struck  with  the  harpoon,  must  at  first  be 
given  plenty  of  line  or  it  will  drag  down  the  boat  in  its 
rapid  descent  to  deep  water.  Sometimes  the  struggle 
to  capture  the  fish  is  a  long  and  serious  one,  as  it  must 
thoroughly  exhaust  itself  before  it  will  yield.  When 
finally  drawn  to  the  side  of  the  boat,  a  heavy  well- 
directed  blow  upon  the  nose  completely  stuns  the 
creature,  and  the  capture  is  then  complete.  The 
diminution  in  the  number  of  sharks  upon  the  coast 
has  led  to  a  large  natural  increase  in  the  number  of 
herring,  the  catching  of  which  forms  a  special  and 
profitable  branch  of  Norwegian  industry. 

It  is  here  at  Bergen  that  the  cargoes  of  fish  caught 
on  the  coast  at  the  far  North  and  within  the  Arctic 
Circle  are  packed  and  reshipped  to  European  ports. 
Lobsters  are  trapped  in  immense  quantities  just  off  the 
coast,  whence  the  London  market  is  mostly  supplied. 
We  were  told  that  over  two  millions  of  this  product 
were  annually  exported  to  Great  Bi-itain.  Tliey  are 
shipped  alive  to  England,  where  owing  to  some  attri- 
buted excellence  they  are  specially  favored  above 
those  coming  from  any  other  locality.  The  Fish  Mar- 
ket is  the  great  business  centre  of  Bergen,  situated 
at  the  end  of  the  Torv,  at  a  small  pier  called  Trian- 


PUBLIC  BUILDINGS  IN  BERGEN.  91 

g'clcii.  The  fish  inteiidcd  for  local  domestic  use  are 
kept  alive  in  large  tubs  of  water  near  the  shore,  and 
when  desired  by  the  purchaser  are  scooped  out  with  a 
net,  killed  by  a  sharp  blow  u})on  the  head,  and  sold  by 
weight,  the  price  being  ridiculously  low.  Owing  to  its 
topographical  character  and  location,  Bergen  will  never 
become  a  railroad  centre  ;  its  principal  trade  will  re- 
uain  in  connection  with  the  sea  alone.  Ship-build- 
:'ng  is  carried  on  here  to  a  considerable  extent.  We 
.*aw  one  iron  steamer  which  was  constructed  and 
equipped  in  this  harbor ;  and  a  finely  finished  craft 
she  was,  of  over  a  thousand  tons  burden.  There  are 
some  fine  public  squares,  a  People's  Park,  wherein 
a  military  band  plays  twice  a  week,  half-a-dozen 
churches,  a  commodious  Theatre,  a  Royal  Palace,  a 
Musical  Institute,  a  Public  Library,  and  a  Museum ; 
but  there  is  scarcely  a  trace  of  architectural  beauty 
in  all  Norway  with  the  exception  of  the  cathedral  at 
Trondhjem,  which  is  formed  of  a  mixture  of  orders, 
the  Norman  predominating.  The  Church  of  St.  Mary 
is  only  interesting  for  its  antiquity,  dating  as  it  docs 
from  the  twelfth  century.  Its  curious  and  grotesque 
facade  bears  the  date  of  1118. 

A  glance  at  the  map  will  sliow  the  reader  that  Nor- 
way is  broadest  where  a  line  drawn  eastward  from 
Bergen  would  divide  it,  giving  a  width  of  a  little  over 
two  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  while  the  length  of 
her  territory  is  four  times  as  great.  The  Gottenburg 
liquor-system,  as  it  is  called,  has  long  been  adopted 
in  this  city,  and  seems  to  operate  as  advantageously 


92  DUE  NORTH. 

here  as  in  the  place  of  its  origin.  Nevertheless,  the 
people  are  what  we  call  in  America  hard  drinkers, 
though  little  absolute  drunkenness  was  observable. 
The  quaint  little  shops  of  the  town,  which  are  slightly 
raised  above  the  level  of  the  street,  have  another  and 
rather  inferior  class  of  stores  under  them,  accessible 
by  descending  steps  from  the  thoroughfare.  This 
division  of  trade,  by  arranging  a  series  of  basement 
stores,  is  so  common  here  as  to  form  a  feature  of  the 
town ;  and  the  same  is  observable  in  Copenhagen, 
where  many  jewelry,  art,  and  choice  retail  stores  ai"e 
located  in  the  basement  of  the  houses,  with  an  estab- 
lishment devoted  to  some  other  line  of  trade  above 
them.  The  shops  in  Bergen  are  well  filled  with  odd 
antique  articles,  mostly  of  domestic  use,  such  as  old 
plate,  drinking-cups,  spoons,  and  silver  goblets  bear- 
ing the  marks  of  age  and  the  date  of  two  or  three 
centuries  past.  A  little  experience  is  apt  to  create 
considerable  doubt  in  the  minds  of  inquiring  trav- 
ellers as  to  the  genuineness  of  these  articles,  which, 
like  those  found  in  the  odd  curio  shops  of  Japan,  are 
very  largely  manufactured  to  order  in  this  blessed 
year  of  our  Lord,  however  they  may  be  dated. 

The  native  jewelry  is  curious  and  some  of  it  quite 
pretty,  not  for  personal  wear,  but  as  a  souvenir.  Evi- 
dences of  thrift  and  prosperity  impress  the  stranger 
on  every  side,  while  extremes  in  the  social  condition 
of  the  people  do  not  appear  to  exist.  They  are  neither 
very  rich  nor  very  poor.  There  are  no  mendicants  or 
idlers  to  be  seen ;  all  persons  appear  to  have  some 


THE   ENVIRONS   OF  BERGEN.  93 

legitimate  occupation.  One  looks  about  in  vain  for 
any  sign  of  the  thirty-two  churches  and  half-score  of 
convents  which  history  tells  us  once  made  of  the 
place  a  noted  religious  centre  and  a  Mecca  for  devo- 
tional pilgrims.  The  Cathedral  of  St.  Olaf  is  vener- 
able, dating  from  1248 ;  but  except  its  antiquity  it 
presents  nothing  of  special  interest  to  the  stranger. 
There  are  numerous  handsome  villas  in  the  imme- 
diate environs,  where  some  very  creditable  landscape 
gardening  is  to  be  seen,  while  the  surrounding  fields 
are  clothed  in  emerald  vegetation.  Some  new  villas 
were  observed  in  course  of  erection,  but  as  we  contin- 
ued our  stroll  the  sterile  and  rocky  hills  which  form 
the  background  to  the  picture  of  Bergen  were  soon 
reached.  A  favorite  walk  in  the  suburbs  is  to  the 
Svartediket,  a  lake  which  supplies  the  city  with  water, 
pure  and  excellent.  At  Tjosanger,  not  far  away,  is 
one  of  the  ancient  wooden  churches  of  the  country, 
almost  identical  with  the  more  noted  one  at  Borgund. 
This  queer  old  structure  at  the  last  named  place  now 
belongs  to  the  Antiquarian  Society  of  Christiania,  and 
is  very  curious  with  its  numerous  gables,  shingle- 
covered  roofs,  and  walls  surmounted  with  dragons' 
heads.  It  is  strangely  sombre,  with  its  dark  and  win- 
dowlcss  interior,  but  is  the  best  preserved  church  of 
its  kind  in  all  Norway,  dating  as  it  does  from  the 
twelfth  century.  But  we  were  speaking  of  the  imme- 
diate environs  of  Bergen.  About  a  mile  outside  of 
the  city  there  is  a  leper  hospital,  devoted  solely  to  the 
unfortunate  victims  of  this  terrible  disease.     Notwith- 


94  DUE  NORTH. 

standing  the  persistent  and  scientific  effort  whicli  has 
been  made  by  the  Government,  still  it  seems  extremely- 
difficult  to  eradicate  this  dreaded  pest  from  the  coun- 
try. The  too  free  use  of  fish  as  a  food  is  thought  by 
many  to  be  a  promoting  cause  of  leprosy.  Those  who 
are  affected  by  it  are  not  permitted  to  marry  if  the 
disease  has  once  declared  itself ;  so  that  as  a  heredi- 
tary affliction  it  is  very  properly  kept  in  check.  There 
are  three  hospitals  set  aside  in  the  country  for  the 
exclusive  treatment  of  those  thus  afflicted ;  one  is  at 
Molde,  one  at  Trondhjem,  and  the  other  we  have  men- 
tioned at  Bergen.  Physicians  say  that  the  disease  is 
slowly  decreasing  in  the  number  of  its  victims,  and  the 
patients  now  domiciled  in  the  three  districts  amount  to 
but  fifteen  hundred,  equally  divided  among  them.  One 
mitigating  feature  of  this  loathsome  affliction  is  the 
fact  that  it  is  not  considered  to  be  contagious ;  but 
those  who  inherit  it  can  never  escape  its  fatality. 

The  country  lying  between  Bergen  and  Christiania, 
and  indeed  nearly  every  part  of  Norway,  presents  great 
attractions  to  the  angler,  who  must,  however,  go  pre- 
pared to  rough  it ;  but  if  he  be  a  true  lover  of  the 
sport,  this  will  enhance  rather  than  detract  from  the 
pleasure.  The  country  is  sparsely  inhabited,  and 
affords  only  the  rudest  accommodations  for  the  Avan- 
dering  pedestrian  who  does  not  confine  himself  to  the 
regular  post-routes.  The  innumerable  lakes,  rivers, 
and  streams  swarm  with  delicious  fish,  —  trout,  gray- 
ling, and  salmon  being  the  most  abundant  species 
of  the  finny   tribe.     Many   Englishmen  come  hither 


7.V  FIEU)   AND  FOREST.  95 

annually,  attracted  solely  by  this  sport.  The  disciples 
of  the  rod  who  know  these  regions  do  not  forget  to 
bring  with  them  ample  protection  against  mosquitoes ; 
for  these  tiny  creatures  are  in  Avonderful  abundance 
during  the  summer  season,  dividing  the  mastership 
Avith  that  other  Norwegian  pest,  the  flea,  who  is  here 
the  acknowledged  giant  of  his  tribe.  Hotel  accom- 
modations even  in  Bergen  are  nothing  to  boast  of. 
Every  foreigner  is  supposed  to  be  craving  for  salmon 
and  reindeer  meat,  raw,  smoked,  pickled,  or  cooked. 

A  drive  of  a  few  leagues  inland  upon  the  charm- 
ing roads  in  any  direction  will  fill  the  stranger  with 
delight,  and  afford  characteristic  pictures  of  great 
beauty.  The  farmers  hang  their  cut  grass  upon 
frames  of  wood  to  dry,  as  we  do  clothes  on  washing- 
day.  These  frames  are  arranged  in  the  mowing-fields 
in  rows  of  a  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  are  about 
five  feet  high.  The  effect  in  the.  haying  season  is 
quite  striking  and  novel  to  the  stranger.  The  agri- 
cultural tools  used  upon  the  farms  are  of  the  most 
]>rimitive  character ;  the  ploughs  are  single-handed, 
and  as  awkward  as  the  rude  implement  in  use  to-day 
in  Egypt.  The  country  houses  are  low,  the  roofs 
often  covered  with  soil,  and  not  infrequently  rendered 
attractive  with  blooming  heather  and  little  bluc-and- 
pink  blossoms  planted  by  Nature's  hand,  —  the  hiero- 
glyphics in  which  she  writes  her  impromptu  poetry. 
In  the  meadows  between  the  hills  are  sprinkled  hare- 
l)ells  as  blue  as  the  azure  veins  on  a  lovely  face ; 
while  here  and  there  patches  of  great  red  clover-heads 


96  DUE  NORTH. 

are  seen  nodding  heavily  with  their  wealth  of  golden 
sweets.  Farther  away  in  solitary  glens  white  anem- 
ones delight  the  eye,  in  company  with  ferns  of  trop- 
ical variety  of  form  and  color.  The  blossoms  of  the 
multebosr,  almost  identical  with  that  of  the  straw- 
berry, are  also  abundant.  The  humidity  of  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  west  coast,  and  especially  in  the  latitude 
of  Bergen,  favors  floral  development.  All  through 
Scandinavia  one  meets  these  bright  mosaics  of  the 
soil  with  a  sense  of  surprise,  they  are  so  delicate,  so 
frail,  creations  of  such  short  life,  yet  lovely  beyond 
compare,  born  upon  the  very  verge  of  eternal  frost. 
How  Nature  enters  into  our  hearts  and  confides  her 
amorous  secrets  through  winsome  flowers !  In  these 
rambles  afield  one  meets  occasionally  a  peasant,  who 
bows  low,  removing  his  hat  as  the  stranger  passes. 
Without  showing  the  servility  of  the  common  people 
of  Japan,  they  yet  exhibit  all  their  native  courtesy. 
Now  and  again  the  road  passes  through  reaches  of 
pine  forest,  still  and  aromatic,  the  soil  carpeted  with 
soft  yellow  fir-needles,  where  if  one  pauses  to  listen 
there  comes  a  low,  undefined  murmur  of  vegetable 
and  insect  life,  like  the  sound  that  greets  the  ear 
when  applied  to  an  empty  sea-shell.  Some  wood- 
paths  were  found  sprinkled  with  dog-violets  and  sax- 
ifrage, fragrant  as  Gan  Eden;  others  were  daintily 
fringed  with  purple  heart's-ease,  captivating  in  their 
sylvan  loveliness.  Of  song-birds  there  were  none ; 
and  one  could  not  but  hunsrcr  for  their  delicious  notes 


THE  NORWEGIAN  CONSTITUTION.  97 

English  is  very  generally  spoken  by  the  merchants 
of  Bergen,  and  may  almost  be  said  to  constitute  its 
commercial  tongue.  It  is  taugbt  in  all  the  "  people's 
schools  "  as  they  are  called,  of  which  there  are  twenty 
supported  by  the  town.  In  conversing  with  the  citi- 
zens, they  appear  to  be  of  more  than  average  intelli- 
gence and  liberal  in  opinions  save  for  a  few  local 
prejudices.  A  Norwegian  does  not  waste  much  love 
upon  Sweden  or  its  people.  There  is  no  bitterness 
expressed,  but  the  two  kingdoms  united  in  one  are 
still  in  a  certain  sense  natural  rivals.  They  are  only 
combined  to  sustain  their  mutual  political  interests  as 
it  regards  other  nations.  They  have  a  saying  at  Ber- 
gen :  "  We  love  the  English,  and  drink  tea ;  the 
Swedes  love  the  French,  and  drink  coffee."  Still,  it 
is  so  clearly  for  their  national  interest  to  remain 
united  that  there  is  no  fear  of  their  seriously  falling 
out.  The  Norwegian  constitution  is  perhaps  as  near 
an  approach  to  a  perfect  democracy  as  can  possiljly 
be  achieved  under  a  constitutional  monarchy.  This 
constitution  is  of  her  own  making.  She  has  "  home 
rule  "  in  its  fullest  sense,  with  her  own  Parliament  and 
ministers  in  all  departments  except  that  of  foreign 
affairs.  She  has  even  her  own  excise,  and  her  own 
taxation  direct  and  indirect.  She  contributes  five, 
and  Sweden  twelve,  seventeenths  of  the  support  of 
the  royal  family.  She  furnishes  her  proper  quota  of 
soldiers  and  sailors  for  the  army  and  navy.  In  short, 
she  makes  her  own  laws  and  appoints  her  own  offi- 
cials to  enforce  tliem.     No  Swede  holds  any  political 


98  DUE  NORTH. 

office  in  Norway.  The  constitution  was  proclaimed  on 
the  4th  of  November,  181-1.  The  whole  of  the  legis- 
lative and  part  of  the  executive  power  of  the  realm 
is  invested  in  the  Storthing,  which  is  an  emanation 
from  and  the  representative  of  the  sovereign  people. 
So  limited  is  the  power  of  the  King  that  he  can  make 
no  appointment  to  public  office  in  Norway,  and  over 
the  laws  passed  by  the  Storthing  he  has  but  a  limited 
veto.  That  is  to  say,  he  may  veto  a  bill ;  but  the  pas- 
sage of  it  a  second  time,  though  it  may  be  by  only  a 
bare  majority,  places  it  beyond  his  prerogative. 

There  are  a  few  Moravians  settled  in  various  parts 
of  the  country,  but  they  are  nowhere  sufficiently 
numerous  to  establish  organized  congregations.  The 
doctrine  of  Luther  seems  to  be  almost  universally 
accepted,  and  appears  to  answer  all  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  people. 

Strangers  visit  with  more  than  passing  interest  the 
admirable  free  industrial  school  for  girls  which  flour- 
ishes and  does  its  grand  work  faithfully  at  Bergen. 
Here  female  children  from  eight  to  sixteen  years  of 
age  are  taught  practically  the  domestic  industries 
under  circumstances  robbed  of  every  onerous  regula- 
tion, and  are  to  be  seen  daily  in  cheerful  groups  at 
work  upon  all  sorts  of  garments,  supervised  by  com- 
petent teachers  of  their  own  sex.  Such  a  well-con- 
ducted and  practical  institution  cannot  but  challenge 
the  admiration  of  even  comparatively  indifferent  per- 
sons. Possessed  of  all  these  prudential  and  educa- 
tional appreciations,  it  is  not  surprising  that  Bergen 


TWO  NORWEGIAN  FJORDS.  99 

lias  sent  forth  some  eminent  representatives  in  sci- 
ence, art,  and  literature.  Among  them  the  most 
familiar  are  perhaps  Ole  Bull,  the  famous  musician ; 
Ludwig  Holbcrg,  the  accomplished  traveller;  Johann 
Welhaven,  the  Norse  poet ;  and  J.  C.  C.  Dahl,  the  justly 
celebrated  painter. 

We  spoke  of  Bergen  as  situated  on  the  west  coast 
of  Norway,  between  two  of  the  most  remarkable  fjords 
in  the  country.  The  Hardanger  richly  repays  a  visit. 
The  beauty,  grandeur,  and  variety  of  its  scenery  is 
hardly  surpassed  in  Scandinavia,  which  is  so  famous 
in  these  respects  in  all  its  parts.  It  is  easily  accessible 
from  Bergen,  as  during  the  summer  steamers  sail 
thither  three  times  a  week,  making  the  entire  tour  of 
the  fjord.  In  many  respects  it  resembles  the  Sognc- 
fjord.  Though  it  is  forty  miles  less  in  extent,  it  is 
yet  the  largest  fjord  in  superficial  measurement  of 
any  on  the  coast.  Both  are  enclosed  by  rocky,  pre- 
cipitous, and  lofty  mountains,  ranging  from  three  to 
four  thousand  feet  in  height,  characterized  by  snow- 
clad  tops  of  virgin  white,  mingled  with  which  are 
many  extensive  glaciers.  The  Sognefjord  is  more 
especially  important  as  a  water-way  extending  from 
the  sea  over  a  hundred  miles  inland,  and  averaging 
over  four  miles  in  width,  having  in  parts  the  remark- 
able depth  of  four  thousand  feet.  At  its  upper 
extremity  is  situated  the  largest  glacier  in  Europe. 
In  the  Hardangerfjord  there  are  many  pleasant  and 
thrifty  hamlets  near  the  water's  edge,  while  broad 
ilelds  of  grain,  thickly  growing  woods,  and  acres  of 


100  DUE  NORTH. 

highly  cultivated  soil  show  a  spirit  of  successful  in- 
dustry seconded  by  the  kindly  aid  of  Nature.  Wher- 
ever an  opportunity  occurs,  the  greensward  springs 
up  in  such  vivid  color  as  to  seem  tropical,  all  the 
more  intensified  by  its  close  proximity  to  the  region 
of  ceaseless  frost.  The  traveller  who  is  familiar  with 
the  Lake  of  Lucerne  will  be  constantly  reminded  of 
that  beautiful  piece  of  land-locked  water  while  sailing 
up  either  of  these  remarkable,  grand,  and  interesting 
arms  of  the  North  Sea.  So  lofty  are  the  mountains, 
and  so  abruptly  do  they  rise  out  of  the  water  at  certain 
points,  that  while  sailing  near  the  shore  within  their 
deep  shadow  the  darkness  of  night  seems  to  encom- 
pass the  vessel.  If  one  has  not  time  to  go  farther 
north  in  Norway,  a  visit  to  and  careful  inspection  of 
these  two  extensive  fjords  will  give  a  very  good  idea 
of  the  peculiarities  of  the  entire  coast.  The  grand 
fjords  north  of  this  point  are  none  of  them  more  ex- 
tensive, but  some  of  the  mountain  scenery  is  bolder 
and  many  of  the  elevations  greater ;  the  glaciers  also 
come  down  nearer  to  the  coast-line  and  to  the  sea. 

Let  no  one  who  tarries  for  a  few  days  at  Bergen 
fail  to  make  an  excursion  to  the  Folgefondcn,  or  Har- 
danger  glaciers.  Of  course  an  experienced  guide  is 
necessary,  as  fatal  accidents  sometimes  occur  here, 
particularly  after  a  fresh  fall  of  snow  wliich  covers 
up  the  huge  clefts  in  the  ice.  These  glaciers  extend 
about  forty  miles  in  length  by  fifteen  or  twenty  in 
width,  here  and  there  intersected  by  enormous  chasms. 
Hunters  and  adventurous  climbers  have  many  times 


THE  IIARDAMJER    GLACIERS.  101 

disappeared  down  these  abysses,  never  again  to  be 
seen  or  heard  from.  Bears  and  reindeer  have  also 
fallen  into  and  perished  in  these  clefts.  Persons 
who  explore  these  glaciers  wear  spiked  shoes  as  a 
necessary  precaution,  and  to  aid  them  in  creeping 
along  the  slippery,  rubbled  surface  of  the  ice.  With 
a  proper  guide  and  reasonable  care,  however,  there  is 
little  danger  to  be  apprehended,  or  at  least  no  more 
than  is  encountered  by  climbers  among  the  Swiss 
Alps.  These  glaciers,  as  we  have  shown,  are  not  con- 
fined to  the  mountain  regions  and  elevated  plateaus, 
but  extend  gradually  downward  in  their  lower  portions 
very  near  to  the  shore,  where  vegetation  in  strong 
contrast  thrives  close  to  their  borders.  Farther 
northward  the  glacial  effects  are  bolder  and  more 
numerous ;  but  these  accessible  from  Bergen  are  by  no 
means  to  be  neglected  by  travellers  who  would  study 
undcrstandingly  this  remarkable  phase  of  Arctic  and 
Alpine  regions. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Ancient  and  Modern  Trondhjem.  —  Runic  Inscriptions.  —  A  Famous 
Old  Cathedral.  —  Local  Characteristics.  —  Romantic  Story  of  King 
Olaf.  —  Curious  Local  Productions.  —  An  Island  Prison.  —  Lafoss 
Falls.  — Corn  Magazines.  --  Land-owners. —  Wood-cutters.  — For- 
ests.—  A  Tumble  Overboard. — A  Genuine  Cockney. — Compara- 
tive Length  of  Days.  —  Characteristics  of  Boreal  Regions.  —  Arctic 
Winter  Fisheries.  —  The  Ancient  Cathedral  Town  of  Lund  ;  tlie 
Oxford  of  Sweden.  —  Pagan  Times. 

Trondhjem  is  situated  on  a  fjord  of  the  same  name 
occupying  a  peninsula  formed  by  the  river  Nid,  and 
is  surrounded  by  beautiful  and  picturesque  scenery. 
A  delightful  view  of  the  town  and  its  environs  may 
be  had  from  the  old  fort  of  Kristiansten.  Here  re- 
sided the  kings  of  Norway  in  the  olden  time.  It  is 
now  a  thriving  but  small  city,  the  seat  of  a  bishoj> 
ric,  and  contains  a  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences,  a 
Museum  embracing  some  remarkable  examples  of 
ancient  weapons  besides  well-preserved  armor,  and 
there  is  here  also  a  good  Public  Library.  The  Ca- 
thedral of  St.  Olaf  is  quite  famous,  being  the  finest 
Gothic  edifice  in  all  Scandinavia,  and  the  only  local 
object  of  special  interest  to  the  traveller.  In  the 
eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries  it  was  the  burial-place 
of  the  kings  of  Norway.  It  is  built  in  its  modern 
form  of  a  soft  gray  stone  which  was  quarried  near 
the   town,  but  the   older  walls  and  foundation   date 


THE    TRO.MJUJEM    CATUEDliAL.  103 

l)uck  many  centuries,  it  being  the  restoration  of  a 
much  more  ancient  church  which  was  partially  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  the  year  1719.  For  many  centuries 
o.arving  in  stone  and  wood  has  been  a  specialty  in 
"Scandinavia.  The  old  Runic  inscriptions  are  all 
^arved  in  stone.  Some  of  these  works  going  back 
>s*n'cn  or  eight  hundred  years,  are  of  the  most  (juaint 
j>.ud  curious  character.  In  this  old  cathedral  there 
is  a  fine  display  of  carvings  in  the  way  of  bosses  and 
capitals.  Some  of  the  Swedish  churches  exhibit  simi- 
lar specimens  of  rude  art,  which  are  of  great  interest 
to  antiquarians.  The  Trondhjem  cathedral  contains 
a  copy  of  Thorwaldsen's  Christ,  the  original  of  which 
is  in  the  Frue  Kirke  at  Copenhagen.  This  colossal 
figure  seen  in  the  dim  light  of  the  cathedral  elo- 
quently expresses  its  inscription :  "  Come  unto  me 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest."  Many  of  the  tombs  in  the  cemetery  ad- 
joining the  cathedral  were  observed  to  be  decked  with 
fiowers  so  fresh  as  to  indicate  frequent  renewals,  and 
yet  many  years  had  intervened  since  the  date  borne 
by  the  stone  slabs  above  the  dead  who  were  thus 
gracefully  remembered.  The  Scandinavians,  like  the 
Turks,  make  the  graves  of  the  departed  a  pleasant 
resort  for  leisure  hours.  The  services  performed  in 
the  old  cathedral  were  those  of  the  English  Church 
on  the  occasion  of  our  visit,  which  was  on  a  Sunday  ; 
but  the  attendance  was  so  small  as  to  be  remarked 
upon,  not  fifty  persons  being  present,  though  there  is 
quite  a  colony  of  English  residents  here. 


104  DUE  NORTH. 

After  Christiania  and  Bergen  Trondhjem  is  the  next 
largest  town  in  Norway,  having  fully  twenty-five  thou- 
sand inhabitants  and  enjoying  quite  an  active  com- 
merce, as  its  shipping  indicated.  The  thoroughfares 
are  broad  and  cheerful,  and  are  liberally  and  tastefully 
adorned  with  a  fine  growth  of  trees.  The  Kongens- 
gade  (King's  Street),  two  hundred  feet  in  width,  runs 
from  end  to  end  of  the  city,  and  with  the  Munkegade, 
divides  it  like  a  cross.  The  latter  street  intersects 
the  great  market-place,  which  is  in  the  centre  of  the 
town.  The  principal  shops  are  found  on  the  Strand- 
gade.  The  houses,  rarely  over  two  stories  in  height, 
are  painted  white  and  roofed  with  red  tiles,  like  scar- 
let caps  upon  light-haired  men.  The  facades  are  full 
of  windows,  which  in  turn  are  crowded  with  grow- 
ing and  blooming  plants.  The  irregularity  of  the 
cobble-stones  used  as  pavements  for  the  streets  ren- 
ders pedestrianism  very  uncomfortable,  and  riding  in 
a  vehicle  even  more  so.  The  Arsenal  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Nid  was  once  the  palace  home  of  the 
ancient  kings,  and  the  royal  throne  is  still  exhibited 
to  the  curious  visitor,  preserved  in  an  unused  portion 
of  the  structure.  Those  familiar  with  Scandinavian 
history  will  remember  that  Trondhjem  was  founded 
about  a  thousand  years  ago  by  King  Olaf  Trygvason, 
upon  the  site  of  a  much  older  city  named  Nidaros. 
There  is  certainly  nothing  visible  to  indicate  its  great 
antiquity.  The  adventurous  life  of  King  Olaf,  which 
recurs  to  us  in  this  connection,  may  be  outlined  in  a 
few  words,  and  is  more  romantic  than  that  of  any 


KING   OLAF   TRYUVASON.  105 

other  ruler  of  Norway  known  to  us.  Born  a  prince, 
he  barely  escaped  assassination  at  the  hands  of  the 
usur[)er  of  his  rights,  by  fleeing  from  the  country  in 
charge  of  his  mother.  They  were  captured  by  pirates, 
separated  and  sold  into  slavery.  Then  followed  a  ])C- 
riod  of  deprivation  and  hardship  ;  but  at  a  compara- 
tively early  age  Olaf  was  opportunely  discovered  and 
ransomed  by  a  relative  who  had  never  ceased  to  seek 
for  the  missing  youth.  He  soon  after  became  a  dis- 
tinguished sea-king,  of  that  class  which  we  call  pirates 
in  our  day.  His  career  in  this  field  of  adventure  is 
represented  to  have  been  one  of  daring  and  reckless 
hardihood,  characterized  by  merciless  aggression  and 
great  success.  Finally  Olaf  married  an  Irish  jirin- 
cess,  embraced  Christianity,  and  fought  his  way  to 
the  throne  of  Norway,  assuming  the  crown  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  991.  From  this  time  he  became  a  zeal- 
ous missionary,  propagating  his  faith  by  the  sword  ; 
and  like  all  other  religious  zealots  he  was  guilty  of 
outrageous  acts  of  cruelty,  proving  the  axiom  that 
"  the  worst  of  madmen  is  a  saint  run  mad."  Seven 
years  subsequent  to  the  last  named  date  he  destroyed 
the  Pagan  temple  of  Thor  and  Odin  at  Trondhjem, 
with  all  its  venerated  idols.  Upon  the  site  of  this 
temple  he  built  a  Christian  church,  making  the  city 
his  seat  of  government;  and  so  it  remained  the  capital 
down  to  the  time  of  the  union  with  Denmark.  Olaf 
was  slain  in  battle  while  fighting  for  his  throne,  and 
was  canonized  by  the  church,  his  shrine  at  Trondhjem 
being  for  centuries  a  Mecca  for  pious  pilgrims  from 


106  DUE  NORTH. 

all  parts  of  Europe.  In  such  veneration  were  the 
memory  and  services  of  this  converted  pirate  held 
by  a  certain  class  of  religionists,  that  churches  were 
erected  in  his  name  at  Constantinople  and  elsewhere. 
His  body  lies  buried  in  the  present  cathedral;  and, 
remarkable  to  relate,  it  was  found  to  be  incorrupt  so 
late  as  1541,  according  to  reliable  historical  record, 
at  which  time  the  tomb  underwent  an  official  exami- 
nation induced  by  some  State  question  of  importance. 
It  was  in  this  cathedral  that  Bernadotte  was  crowned 
King  of  Norway,  in  1818  ;  Oscar  I.,  in  1844 ;  Charles 
XV.,  in  1860  ;  and  Oscar  XL,  the  present  sovereign  of 
the  two  Kingdoms,  in  1873. 

In  some  of  the  fancy-goods  shops  on  the  Strandgade 
one  can  purchase  silver  ornaments  of  native  design 
and  workmanship,  quite  as  original  and  peculiar  as 
those  produced  at  Trichinopoly  in  middle  India,  or 
at  Genoa  in  Italy.  Choice  furs,  such  as  delicate  and 
well-cured  skins  of  sable  and  fox,  can  be  had  here  at 
reasonable  rates,  made  up  in  the-form  of  simple  man- 
tles and  robes.  It  was  observed  that  upon  entering 
a  shop  here  the  customer  invariably  removes  his  hat 
out  of  respect  to  the  store-keeper,  whether  man  or 
woman,  and  remains  thus  uncovered  while  perfecting 
his  purchase.  Courtesy  is  a  cheap  though  potent 
commodity,  and  wholesome  lessons  may  often  be  ac- 
quired in  unexpected  places.  One  curious  local  pro- 
duction was  observed  in  the  form  of  cider-down  rugs, 
capes,  cloaks,  and  the  like,  which  were  also  seen  at 
Christiania.     One  very  fine  specimen  was  in  the  form 


THE    LAFOSS   FALLS.  107 

of  a  cloak  designed  for  ladies'  wear,  but  which  seemed 
to  be  rather  an  expensive  luxury  at  the  price  asked, 
which  was  a  thousand  dollars. 

A  short  walk  from  the  town  brings  one  to  Hlade, 
where  stands  the  famous,  or  rather  infamous,  Jarl 
Hakon's  castle,  and  from  whence  he  ruled  over  the 
country  round  about  with  an  iron  hand  in  the  olden 
time.  He  was  a  savage  Heathen,  believing  in  and 
practising  human  sacrifices,  evidences  of  which  arc 
pointed  out  to  the  curious  visitor.  About  a  mile  from 
the  town,  in  the  fjord,  is  the  island  of  Munkholm,  once 
the  site  of  a  Benedictine  monastery,  as  its  name  in- 
dicates, and  which  was  erected  in  1028.  The  base  of 
one  of  the  towers,  mouldering  and  moss-grown,  now 
only  remains.  Victor  Hugo  graphically  describes 
this  island  in  his  "  Han  d'Islande."  Here  the  famous 
minister  of  Christian  V.,  Griffenfcldt,  was  confined  for 
many  weary  years.  His  crime  was  absolutely  noth- 
ing, his  incarceration  for  this  long  period  being  purely 
the  result  of  political  intrigue.  When  he  was  finally 
brought  to  the  scaffold  for  execution,  a  messenger  in- 
terrupted the  headsman  at  the  last  moment,  and  an- 
nounced a  pardon  from  the  King.  "  The  pardon,"  said 
the  worn  out  sufferer,  "is  severer  than  tlie  penalty!" 

A  walk  or  drive  of  three  or  four  miles  up  the  beau- 
tiful valley  of  the  Nid  carries  one  to  the  Lafoss  Falls, 
upper  and  lower,  situated  about  a  mile  from  each 
other;  and  though  classed  among  the  ordinary  water- 
falls of  Norway,  they  arc  superior  to  anything  of 
the  sort  in  Switzerland.     The  upper  fall  is  nearly  a 


108  DUE  NORTH. 

hundred  feet  high,  with  a  width  of 
the  lower  one  is  eighty  feet  in  height  and  about  one 
third  as  wide  as  the  other.  The  falls  of  the  Rhine  at 
Schaffhausen  may  be  compared  to  them;  but  these 
Scandinavian  falls  are  more  remarkable  in  size,  as 
well  as  more  perpendicular.  They  are  annually  vis- 
ited by  large  numbers  of  tourists  from  Europe  and 
America,  and  have,  like  all  such  strong  demonstra- 
tions of  Nature,  an  individuality  quite  impressive. 
The  salmon-fishing  in  this  neighborhood  is  said  to  be 
the  best  in  the  country.  The  topographical  formation 
of  Norway  precludes  the  extensive  building  of  rail- 
roads, but  three  thousand  square  miles  of  the  king- 
dom are  covered  with  lakes  which  greatly  facilitate 
inland  communication.  Lake  Mjosen,  already  spoken 
of,  and  Randsfjord  are  respectively  sixty  and  forty- 
five  miles  long.  The  hundreds  of  fjords  which  indent 
the  west  coast  form  another  system  of  waterways,  the 
four  largest  being  the  Hardangerfjord,  Sognefjord, 
Porsanger,  and  Christiania.  The  population  concen- 
trates on  and  about  these  natural  means  of  communi- 
cation, and  thus  all  are  more  or  less  utilized.  About 
the  shores  of  the  Trondhjemfjord  are  to  be  seen  de- 
lightful green  fields  and  thrifty  farms,  vegetation  ad- 
vancing as  if  by  magic  under  the  continuous  heat  of 
the  ardent  sun.  The  latitude  here  is  64°  65'.  The 
mean  annual  temperature  is  set  down  in  the  local  sta- 
tistics at  42°  Fahrenheit,  which  it  will  be  found  by 
comparison  corresponds  with  the  winter  temperature 
on  the  southern  coast  of  England. 


CORN  MAGAZINES.  109 

We  were  here  told  of  a  system  of  storage  for  grain, 
long  established,  but  which  was  quite  new  to  us,  and 
which  as  a  local  expedient  appears  to  possess  consid- 
erable merit.  It  seems  that  there  are  what  is  called 
Corn  Magazines  organized  in  various  districts,  to 
which  farmers  may  send  a  portion  of  their  sur])lus 
produce,  and  whence  also  they  may  be  supplied  with 
loans  of  grain  when  required.  The  depositors  receive 
at  the  rate  of  twelve  and  a  half  per  cent  increase  up- 
on their  deposit  of  grain  for  twelve  months,  and  the 
borrowers  replace  the  quantities  advanced  to  them 
at  the  expiration  of  the  same  period,  paying  an  inter- 
est of  twenty-hve  per  cent  in  kind.  The  difference 
in  the  amount  of  interest  on  the  grain  received  and 
that  loaned  pays  the  necessary  expenses  of  storage 
and  of  sustaining  the  system.  As  the  sole  object  is 
the  mutual  l)enerit  of  all  concerned,  no  profit  above 
actual  expenses  is  demanded  or  considered  to  be  de- 
sirable. The  necessity  for  these  magazines  is  owing 
to  the  precarious  character  of  the  crops,  —  a  peculi- 
arity of  which  is  that  there  may  be  an  abundance  in 
one  locality,  and  a  partial  or  even  total  failure  of  the 
crop  in  another,  thougli  they  may  be  separated  by 
only  a  few  miles  from  each  other.  These  granaries 
arc  fostered  by  the  Government. 

As  one  travels  northward,  it  is  found  that  farming 
as  a  permanent  occupation  gradually  and  naturally 
ceases.  The  populace,  gathered  about  the  fjords  in 
small  villages,  devote  their  time  to  fishing,  trading  in 
skins,  reindeer-meat,  and  the  like.     In   middle  and 


110  DUE  NORTH. 

southern  Norway,  where  farming  is  the  principal  occu- 
pation of  the  people,  at  the  death  of  the  head  of  the 
famil}^  the  land  belonging  to  the  deceased  is  equally 
divided  among  the  surviving  cliildren.  No  estates  are 
entailed  in  this  country.  The  division  of  real  property 
tends  to  foster  a  spirit  of  independence  and  self-respect 
which  will  be  looked  for  in  vain  among  those  nations 
where  the  land  is  in  the  possession  of  the  few.  It  is  a 
remarkable  fact  that  the  number  of  landed  proprietors 
in  Norway,  in  proportion  to  the  aggregate  of  the  pop- 
ulation, is  greater  than  in  any  other  country  in  Europe. 
Reliable  statistics  show  that  there  is  here  one  estate 
for  every  twenty-two  persons ;  while  in  Scotland,  for 
instance,  there  is  but  one  for  each  seven  hundred ! 
The  Scandinavian  farmer  is  neither  poor  nor  rich  ;  he 
raises  from  his  own  soil  nearly  all  the  necessities  of 
life,  even  including  the  family  clothing,  —  exchanging 
a  small  portion  of  his  surplus  for  such  articles  as  he 
requires,  but  which  are  not  of  home  product.  The  aver- 
age farms  in  Norway  consist  of  from  sixty  to  seventy- 
five  acres  each,  though  some  are  much  larger.  This 
docs  not  include  a  certain  portion  of  mountain  pastur- 
age, only  available  in  summer,  but  which  is  attached 
to  every  farm  located  in  the  valleys,  known  (as  already 
described)  as  the  saster. 

The  mountain  scenery  of  the  northern  part  of  the 
country,  especially  near  the  coast,  is  not  excelled  in 
its  bold  and  rugged  character  in  any  part  of  the  world. 
Norway  is  here  very  sparsely  inhabited, — a  few  huts, 
as  we  have  shown,  being  occasionally  perched  upon 


IMMENiSE  FORESTS   OF  FJllS.  Ill 

elevations  which  seem  to  be  accessible  to  eagles  and 
rei)tiles  only,  where  footways  or  narrow  paths  are  built 
upon  piles  across  gaping  ravines,  or  are  formed  of  tim- 
ber suspended  by  chains  securely  fastened  to  the  rocks. 
The  inhabitants  of  these  desolate  regions  find  occupa- 
tion and  procure  a  precarious  living  by  cutting  wood 
for  fuel,  which  they  transport  upon  their  backs,  or  by 
the  production  of  charcoal.  In  the  more  accessible 
places  they  cut  timber  for  building  purposes,  which 
they  float  down  the  seething  rapids  and  tortuous 
rivers  to  the  villages  and  cities.  Occasionally  these 
people  kill  a  bear  or  trap  a  wolf,  from  which  sources 
they  realize  both  food  and  a  small  government  bounty 
in  money.  The  fir,  the  pine,  and  the  white  birch 
abound,  the  first  growing  at  an  elevation  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Now 
and  again  the  eye  is  arrested  by  the  gracefully-dis- 
posed mountain-ash,  heavy  with  clusters  of  red  ber- 
ries ;  and  often  intermingled  with  the  undergrowth, 
the  pale  dog-rose  is  seen  growing  far  beyond  the  reach 
of  human  hands.  In  Sweden  there  are  immense  for- 
ests of  (irs  hundreds  of  miles  in  extent,  where  the 
aspen  and  mcnnitain-ash  also  abound.  The  oak  is 
i-arc,  but  is  iound  well  developed  in  some  of  tlie 
southern  districts  of  both  Norway  and  Sweden.  Wood 
is  almost  universally  used  for  family  fuel,  as  well  as 
for  manufacturing  purposes,  though  some  consider- 
able quantities  of  peat  are  realized  from  the  bogs  in 
some  of  the  southern  districts,  which  is  also  consumed 
in  domestic  use. 


112  DUE  NORTH. 

The  usual  route  of  those  who  seek  to  gain  a  view  of 
the  '■'midnight  sun," — that  is,  of  witnessing  the  phe- 
nomenon of  the  sun  passing  round  the  horizon  without 
sinking  beneath  it,  —  is  to  depart  from  Trondhjem  by 
sea  for  the  North  Cape,  skirting  the  iron-bound  coast 
for  a  distance  of  about  seven  hundred  miles.  This  was 
the  route  taken  b}^  the  author,  and  over  which  he  will 
ask  the  reader  to  accompany  him.  As  the  steamer  was 
just  casting  off  her  shore-lines  and  getting  underway, 
a  passenger  who  seemed  to  have  been  accidentally 
detained  came  running  down  the  pier  to  get  on  board, 
in  doing  which  he  missed  his  proper  footing  and  fell 
into  the  water  alongside.  He  was  promptly  relieved 
from  his  somewhat  perilous  position,  but  in  a  decidedly 
dripping  condition.  After  descending  to  his  cabin  for 
a  short  time  he  appeared  in  more  presentable  shape, 
wearing  a  plaid  travelling  suit  which  was  rather 
"loud"  in  the  size  of  the  diagonal  figures.  He  wore 
a  single  eye-glass,  stuck  after  the  English  fashion 
before  his  right  eye,  depending  from  which  was  a  thin 
gold  chain.  His  principal  occupation  seemed  to  be 
the  manipulation  of  that  eye-glass,  shaking  it  out  of 
place  by  a  vigorous  jerk  of  the  head,  and  replacing  it 
again  incessantly.  The  fellow  was  an  unmistakable 
cockney,  and  a  more  verdant  specimen  it  would  be 
difficult  to  conceive  of.  His  great  simplicity  as  ex- 
hibited at  times  was  almost  beyond  belief.  He  a]> 
peared  to  be  travelling  alone,  but  though  evidently 
near  his  majority  he  was  scarcely  fit  to  do  so.  His 
ideas  of   geography,  or  indeed  of  whither  wc   were 


LONG  DAYS  AND  THE   WINTER  NIGHT.      113 

sailiiiii,-,  seemed  to  be  ludicrously  involved.  A  Yankee 
schoolboy  of  ten  years  would  have  proved  to  be  a 
veritable  Solomon  compared  with  our  cockney  fellow- 
passenger. 

As  we  sail  northward,  the  rapid  lengthening  of  the 
days  becomes  more  and  more  obvious.  At  Lund,  in 
the  extreme  south  of  Sweden,  the  longest  day  expcri- 
ence-d  is  seventeen  hours  and  a  half ;  at  Stockholm, 
two  hundred  miles  farther  north,  the  longest  day  of 
the  year  is  eighteen  hours  and  a  half ;  at  Bergen,  in 
Norway,  three  hundred  miles  north  of  Lund,  the 
longest  day  is  nineteen  hours ;  and  at  Trondhjem, 
five  hundred  miles  north  of  Lund,  the  longest  day  is 
twenty-one  hours.  Above  this  point  of  latitude  to  the 
North  Cape  there  is  virtually  no  uight  at  all  during 
the  brief  summer  season,  as  the  sun  is  visible,  or 
nearly  so,  for  the  whole  twenty-four  hours.  From 
early  in  May  until  about  the  first  of  August,  north 
of  Trondhjem,  the  stars  take  a  vacation,  or  at  least 
they  are  not  visible,  while,  the  moon  is  so  pale  as  to 
give  no  light,  the  Great  Bear  puts  by  his  seven  lustres, 
and  the  diamond  belt  of  Orion  is  unseen.  But  the 
heavenly  lamps  revive  by  the  first  of  September,  and 
after  a  short  period  are  supplemented  by  the  marvel- 
lous and  beautiful  radiations  of  the  Aurora  Borealis. 
Winter  now  sets  in,  the  sun  disappears  entirely  from 
sight,  and  night  reigns  supreme,  the  heavens  shining 
only  Avith  subdued  light.  Were  it  not  for  the  brill- 
iancy of  the  Auroral  light,  the  fishermen  could  hardly 
pursue  their  winter  vocation,  that  being  the  harvest- 
8 


114  DUE  NORTH. 

time  with  them,  and  midnight  is  considered  to  be  the 
best  period  of  the  twenty-four  hours  for  successful 
fishing  in  these  frosty  regions.  In  and  about  the 
Lofoden  Islands  alone  five  thousand  boats  are  thus 
regularly  employed  at  the  height  of  the  season,  giving 
occupation  to  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  thousand 
men.  These  people  are  mostly  Scandinavians,  prop- 
erly so  designated ;  but  other  countries  also  contribute 
their  quota  to  swell  the  number,  many  coming  especi- 
ally from  northern  Russia  and  northern  Finland  east 
of  the  Bothnian  Gulf. 

Though  Lund  is  not  in  the  direct  route  over  which 
we  propose  to  take  the  reader,  still  having  mentioned 
this  ancient  and  most  interesting  locality,  a  few  words 
in  relation  to  it  will  not  be  out  of  place.  To-day  it 
has  a  population  of  some  twelve  or  fifteen  thousand 
only,  but  according  to  popular  tradition  it  was  once 
a  city  of  two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  and  was 
a  famous  and  flourishing  capital  two  thousand  years 
ago,  long  before  the  birth  of  Christ.  Its  former 
churches  and  monasteries  have  crumbled  to  dust, 
the  grounds  and  neighborhood  being  now  only  re- 
markable for  the  beautiful  trees  wdiich  have  sprung 
up  and  covered  the  wrinkles  that  ruthless  time 
has  scored  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  Lund 
of  our  day  is  a  sleepy,  dreamy  old  town,  called  by 
some  the  Oxford  of  Sweden,  because  of  the  acknowl- 
edged excellence  of  its  University.  The  number  of 
students  attached  thereto  we  could  not  learn,  but 
we  saw  them  in  goodly  numbers,  living  in  separate 


A    CATHEDRAL    CI  TV.  115 

lo(lgiii<i,.s  about  the  town  and  only  coming  together 
at  the  period  of  recitations  and  public  lectures.  The 
system  of  instruction  here  is  unique  ;  enough  was 
learned  to  satisfy  one  of  that,  but  the  details  Vv'erc 
not  clearly  defined. 

Lund  has  also  its  cathedral,  a  noble  Xorman  struc- 
ture dedicated  to  Saint  Lawrence,  and  which  is  all 
things  considered  one  of  the  Ihiest  in  Sweden,  though 
it  is  a  little  grotesque  by  reason  of  the  marvellous  giants 
and  impossible  dwarfs  sculptured  upon  the  pillars  of 
the  interior.  It  was  founded  in  the  eleventh  century, 
and  has  been  more  than  once  fully  renovated.  The 
town  is  of  easy  access.  One  has  only  to  cross  the 
Sound  from  Copenhagen,  and  it  is  richly  worth  visit- 
ing. It  was  a  "holy  "  city  in  Pagan  times,  containing 
in  those  days  temples  to  Odin  and  Thor,  and  was  es- 
pecially remarkable  for  the  ceremonies  which  took 
place  there  connected  with  the  worship  of  these  Hea- 
then deities,  accompanied  by  human  sacrifice. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Along  the  Coast  of  Norway.  —  Education  at  the  Far  North.  —  An 
Interesting  Character.  —  A  Botanical  Enthusiast.  —  Remarkable 
Mountain  Tunnel.  — A  Hard  Climb.  —  The  Seven  Sisters.  — Young 
England.  —  An  Amateur  Pliotographer.  —  Horseman's  Island.  — 
Ancient  Town  of  Bodoe.  —  Arctic  Flowers.  —  The  Famous  Mael- 
strom.—  Illusions!  —  The  "Wonderful  Lofoden  Islands. — Grand 
and  Unique  Scenery.  —  Glaciers. ' —  Nature's  Architecture.  —  Mys- 
terious Effects.  —  Attraction  for  Artists. 


The  coast  of  Norway  from  the  most  southerly  part 
which  is  known  as  the  Naze,  to  the  North  Cape  which 
is  its  extreme  point  in  that  direction,  is  bordered  by 
inmimerable  rocky  islands,  and  also  by  deep  fjords 
winding  inland  from  ten  to  fifty  miles  each  among 
masses  of  rock  forming  lofty,  perpendicular  walls, 
often  towering  a  thousand  feet  and  more  in  height. 
The  traveller  is  reminded  by  the  aspect  of  these  fjords 
of  the  striking  scenery  of  the  Saguenay  River  in 
North  America.  The  turbulent  waves  of  the  North 
Atlantic  and  Arctic  Oceans  hurled  against  the  coast 
by  the  western  gales  for  many  thousands  of  years,  have 
steadily  worn  into  the  land,  and  thus  formed  these 
remarkable  fjords ;  or  perhaps  after  they  were  begun 
by  volcanic  action,  the  wearing  of  the  water  has  grad- 
ually brought  about  their  present  condition.  The 
coast  of  Sweden,  on  the  other  hand,  is  formed  by  the 


rilE   COAST  OF  NOR  WAV.  117 

Baltic  Sea  and  the  Gulf  of  ]>othnia,  both  of  which  are 
inland  waters ;  and  though  there  are  many  islands  on 
the  Swedish  coast,  there  are  no  fjords  worthy  of  men- 
tion. Notwithstanding  that  the  extreme  length  of 
Norway  from  north  to  south  is  hardly  twelve  hun- 
dred miles,  yet  so  numerous  and  extensive  are  these 
peculiar  arms  of  the  sea  that  its  coast-line  is  esti- 
mated to  measure  over  three  thousand  miles, — which 
gives  to  these  deep  indentures  of  the  west  coast  a 
length  of  eighteen  hundred  miles.  The  entire  penin- 
sula known  under  the  general  name  of  Scandinavia 
is  composed  of  Norway,  Sweden,  and  a  small  portion 
of  the  Russian  possessions  in  the  northeast.  This 
division  of  country  supports  a  population  of  little  less 
than  seven  millions,  and  contains  in  round  numbers 
three  hundred  thousand  square  miles.  To  geologists 
it  is  especially  interesting  to  know  that  the  mountains 
of  this  section  of  the  globe  are  almost  wholly  of  primi- 
tive rocks,  presenting  as  near  as  possible  the  same 
form  as  when  they  were  first  solidified.  They  are 
rarely  overlaid  with  more  recent  formations,  but  stand 
forth  as  tangible  evidence  of  the  great  antiquity  of 
this  region. 

In  her  course  northward  the  steamer  winds  in  and 
out  among  the  many  islands  and  fjords,  touching 
occasionally  at  small  settlements  on  the  main-land  to 
discharge  light  freight,  and  to  land  or  take  on  board 
an  occasional  passenger.  The  few  persons  who  came 
from  the  little  clusters  of  houses,  which  arc  not  suffi- 
cient in  number  to  be  called  a  village,  were  found  to 


118  DUE   NORTH. 

be  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  neat  and  clean 
in  their  appearance ;  and,  much  to  our  surprise,  they 
often  spoke  English.  We  were  told  that  even  in  these 
sparsely  inhabited  regions,  education  is  provided  for 
by  what  is  termed  the  "  ambulatory  system  ; "  that  is, 
one  able  teacher  instructs  the  youth  of  three  or  four 
neighboring  districts,  accommodating  the  convenience 
of  all  by  suitable  variations  of  time  and  place  in 
holding  school-sessions. 

Among  the  passengers  who  came  on  board  our 
steamer  at  Trondhjem  as  we  were  starting  for  the 
north  was  one  whose  personal  peculiarities  had  at- 
tracted some  attention.  He  was  a  man  of  fifty  years 
or  more,  with  iron-gray  hair,  and  a  tall,  slim  figure. 
He  wore  a  long  gray  surtout,  a  flat,  flabby  cloth  cap, 
with  a  broad,  straight  leather  visor,  beneath  which 
were  shaggy  grizzly  brows,  so  heavy  indeed  as  to 
throw  his  eyes  into  shadow,  deep  as  a  well.  His 
wrinkled  face,  long  and  narrow,  was  supplemented  by 
a  double  chin  as  full  of  folds  as  his  cap.  This  man 
glanced  about  him  occasionally,  with  large  blue  eyes 
of  such  marked  intelligence  as  to  indicate  the  posses- 
sion of  plenty  of  brains.  Fastened  across  his  shoulder 
there  depended  upon  his  left  side  a  long  round  tin  box 
painted  green.  He  seemed  quite  wrapped  up  in  his 
own  thought,  and  addressed  no  one.  He  had  just 
seated  himself  in  one  corner  of  the  deck,  apparently 
for  a  nap,  when  wo  rounded  to  at  a  landing,  on  the 
second  day  of  the  voyage  northward.  Among  those 
who  came  on  board  from  this  place  were  two  or  three 


AN  ENTHUSIASTIC  BOTANIST.  119 

peasant  women  destined  for  the  next  station,  witli 
whom  was  a  young  girl  who  held  in  her  hand  a  tiny 
bouquet  of  simple  cut  flowers.  The  drowsy  figure  of 
the  old  German,  for  that  was  his  nationality,  suddenly 
became  animated,  and  he  was  seen  hastening  towards 
the  girl,  and  extending  a  piece  of  silver,  which  was 
quickly  exchanged  for  the  cluster  of  flowers.  A  mo- 
ment later  he  had  assumed  his  former  position,  and 
with  his  tin  box  open  before  him  was  arranging  his 
floral  prize.  His  profession  was  no  longer  a  mystery. 
He  was  a  botanist,  —  a  botanist  con  amove.  Meeting 
him  upon  this  ground,  he  was  found  to  be  a  most 
delightful  talker  and  a  devout  disciple  of  Linnaeus. 
He  was  so  eloquent  upon  the  properties  of  flowers,  — 
their  disposition,  their  genealogy,  their  connubial  ties, 
the  fragrance  of  their  breath,  their  length  of  life,  — 
that  he  might  have  been  talking  of  humanity  rather 
than  of  the  denizens  of  Flora's  kingdom.  Every  bit 
of  fern  was  treasured ;  every  leaf,  every  pale  blossom 
possessed  feeling,  consciousness  of  care,  interesting 
habits,  and  spoke  a  familiar  language  to  him.  It  was 
delightful  to  hear  him  discuss  their  properties  with 
such  enthusiasm,  so  tenderly  and  lovingly.  It  is  to 
the  faithful  researches  of  such  simple  and  sincere 
devotees  of  science  that  we  are  indebted  for  our 
knowledge  of  Nature's  daintiest  secrets.  Among  the 
flowers  brought  on  board  by  the  young  girl  was  a 
deep  blue  orchis.  "  See,"  said  the  narrow-chested, 
thin-voiced  old  man,  "this  is  the  Orchis  77iaciiIata,thG 
Virgin's  and  Devil's  hand,  with  one  prong  of  the  root 


120  DUE  NORTH. 

dark  and  crooked,  while  the  other  is  straight  and 
white.  Behold  !  I  place  it  in  this  basin  of  water ;  the 
white  hand  floats  upon  the  surface,  the  black  hand 
sinks  !  "  The  old  man  gazed  in  silence  for  a  moment ; 
then  added :  "  It  is  the  emblem  of  good  triumphing 
over  evil." 

How  gentle  and  benignant  the  nature  that  dwelt 
within  the  rough  exterior  of  this  enthusiast ! 

The  course  of  the  northern-bound  steamers  takes 
them  by  the  celebrated  island  of  Torghatten,  which 
is  pierced  entirely  through  by  a  remarkable  natural 
tunnel.  The  opening  on  the  precipitous  side  occurs 
about  half  way  up  between  the  sea-level  and  the  apex. 
The  island  rises  gradually  from  the  water  at  first,  but 
soon  becomes  abrupt,  finishing  at  a  height  of  about 
one  thousand  feet.  Here  the  steamer  comes  to  an- 
chor for  a  few  hours,  to  enable  tourists  to  land  and 
examine  the  tunnel.  If  the  sea  happens  to  be  rough, 
however,  this  is  not  possible.  A  steep  and  rather 
trying  climb  over  the  spongy  moss  and  rubble  stones, 
where  there  is  no  definite  path,  brings  one  at  last  to 
the  mouth  of  the  opening,  which  is  so  regular  in  form 
that  it  would  almost  seem  to  have  been  constructed 
for  some  useful  purpose  by  human  hands,  rather  than 
by  any  freak  of  Nature.  The  floor  of  the  tunnel  is 
quite  uneven  and  rough,  being  strewn  with  rocks  that 
have  fallen  from  the  roof,  owing  to  atmospheric  disin- 
tegrating influences  operating  for  many  ages.  It  very 
naturally  recalled  the  Grotto  of  Posilippo  at  Naples, 
surmounted  by  Virgil's  tomb,  though  the  Italian  tun- 


A   TUNNELLED  ISLAND.     SEVEN  SISTERS.     121 

lu'l  is  arlilicial,  while  Torg-liatton  is  unmistakably  iiat- 
iirah  This  tunnel  is  sixty  feet  high  at  the  mouth,  and 
between  five  and  six  hundred  feet  long,  maintaining 
throughout  about  the  same  size.  Through  the  large 
opening  one  gets  a  very  curious,  half-telescopic  view 
of  the  sea  and  the  many  islands  lying  in  range.  Such 
a  place  would  be  quite  incomplete  as  a  unique  resort, 
and  particularly  in  Scandinavia,  without  its  special 
legend  attached ;  but  the  one  we  heard  upon  the  spot 
was  far  too  extravagant  and  foolish  to  repeat  in  these 
pages.  This  mountain  island  is  said  to  contain  caves 
which  extend  some  distance  beneath  the  surrounding 
waters,  hut  which  are  nevertheless  perfectly  dry.  A 
story  is  told  of  one  of  these  being  the  bridal  chamber 
of  a  famous  Viking  in  the  olden  time,  and  which  is 
said  to  be  only  accessible  by  diving  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  sea.  Soon  after  leaving  the  perforated 
insular  mountain,  the  "Seven  Sisters"  come  into 
view.  These  are  elevations  about  three  thousand  feet 
liigh,  located  upon  the  island  of  Alsten,  which  forms 
the  Avest  side  of  Yefsenfjord.  They  are  of  remarkable 
similarity  in  form,  with  deep  valleys  and  dark  gorges 
separating  them.  From  the  group  there  rolled  back 
across  the  waters  a  whole  broadside  of  echoes  in  re- 
sponse to  the  single  boom  of  our  forecastle  gun  fired 
for  the  purpose.  These  "  Sisters  "  liave  stood  here, 
in  their  craggy  and  solitary  grandeur,  unexplored  and 
untrodden  for  perhaps  twice  ten  thousand  years.  The 
peaks  are  far  too  perpendicular  for  human  access. 
The  course  in  this  region  is  along  the  shore  of  what 


122  DUE  NORTH. 

is  called  Nordland,  extending  longitudinally  about 
forty  miles,  the  interior  of  which  has  not  yet  been 
explored. 

We  had  already  passed  latitude  G6  °  north,  when 
the  captain  of  the  steamer  casually  remarked  to  a 
group  of  passengers  that  we  must  be  on  the  look-out, 
for  we  should  soon  cross  the  line  of  the  Arctic  Circle. 
Young  England  was  instantly  on  the  alert,  with  his 
sticking  eye-glass  and  fidgety  manner,  wanting  to  know 
what  the  "  line  "  looked  like.  Intelligent  glances  were 
exchanged  between  a  couple  of  gentlemen  passengers, 
one  of  whom  stepped  into  the  captain's  office  and 
brought  out  a  ship's  spy-glass.  After  carefully  sweep- 
ing the  horizon  with  the  instrument  directed  to  the 
northwest,  the  gentleman  thought  that  lie  discovered 
indications  of  the  "  line  "  already.  In  this  supposi- 
tion he  was  confirmed  by  his  companion,  after  he  also 
had  taken  a  careful  survey  through  the  glass.  Young 
England  stood  by,  nervously  jerking  his  eye-glass  out 
of  place  and  putting  it  back  again,  and  anxious  to  get 
a  peep ;  so  he  was  kindly  accommodated.  He  shouted 
almost  immediately  that  he  could  see  the  "  line,"  and 
indulged  in  rather  boisterous  demonstrations  of  satis- 
faction at  the  sight.  Presently  the  gentleman  who  had 
borrowed  the  glass  received  it  again  ;  but  before  return- 
ing it  to  the  captain's  office  he  removed  a  small  silk 
thread  which  liad  been  extended  across  the  object-glass. 
Young  England  in  his  simplicity  never  suspected  the 
trick  played  upon  his  ignorance.  The  amateur  pho- 
tograplicr  ("  photographic  fiend,"  as  he  was  named  by 


IWRSEMAX'S   ISLAND.  123 

the  j)asscngcrs)  was  also  on  board  witli  his  portable 
machine,  aiming  it  at  everybody  and  everything.  He 
too  was  an  English  cockney  of  the  shallowest  kind ; 
but  as  regarded  any  pictorial  results  from  the  innocent 
machine  which  he  set  up  all  over  the  ship,  —  now  on 
the  bridge,  now  at  the  taffrail,  and  again  on  the  forecas- 
tle, —  there  were  none.  Not  a  "  negative  "  was  pro- 
duced during  our  eight  days'  voyage  whereby  one  might 
judge  whether  the  whole  affair  was  a  "  blind  "  or  othci-- 
wise.  This  youth  was  one  degree  less  verdant  than  he 
with  the  sticking  eye-glass,  but  yet  he  had  an  oi)inion  to 
offer  upon  every  topic  of  conversation,  and  Avas,  as  he 
believed,  quite  posted  in  all  national  and  political  mat- 
ters at  home  and  abroad.  If  he  lives  for  a  few  years 
he  will  doubtless  have  less  faith  in  his  own  wisdom, 
and  will  exhibit  less  conceit  to  others. 

There  is  but  one  day  in  the  year  when  the  phenom- 
enon of  the  midnight  sun  can  be  seen  at  the  imaginary 
line  which  we  designate  as  the  Arctic  Circle,  a  point 
twenty-three  degrees  and  twenty-eight  minutes  from 
the  North  Pole  ;  but  by  sailing  some  three  hundred 
miles  farther  northward  to  the  North  Cape,  the  pro- 
jecting point  of  the  extreme  north  of  Norway,  it  may 
be  observed  under  favorable  circumstances,  —  that  is, 
when  not  obscured  by  clouds, — for  over  two  months 
dating  from  the  middle  of  May.  Soon  after  passing 
the  Arctic  Circle,  fourteen  hundred  and  eight  geo- 
gra])hical  miles  from  the  North  Pole,  a  singularly 
formed  island  is  observed,  called  by  the  natives  Hest- 
mando,  or  Horseman's  Island,  —  arockv  and  moun- 


124  DUE  NORTH. 

tainous  formation  of  two  thousand  feet  in  height,  more 
or  less.  On  approaching  the  island  from  the  west,  by 
a  liberal  aid  from  the  imagination  one  can  discern  the 
colossal  figure  of  a  horseman  wrapped  in  his  cloak  and 
mounted  on  a  charger.  It  forms  a  well-known  land- 
mark to  all  navigating  the  coast.  The  summit,  it  is 
believed,  has  never  been  reached  by  human  feet. 

The  fishing  village  or  town  of  Bodoe,  on  the  main- 
land, is  one  of  the  regular  stopping  places  for  the 
steamers  that  ply  on  the  coast.  It  contains  some  fif- 
teen hundred  inhabitants,  all  toilers  of  the  sea,  and  is 
the  chief  town  of  Nordland.  Some  few  of  the  houses 
are  large  and  comfortable,  being  of  modern  construc- 
tion, forming  a  strong  contrast  to  the  low  turf-roofed 
log-cabins  which  are  to  be  seen  in  such  close  proxim- 
ity to  them.  There  is  an  ancient  stone  church  here 
which  the  traveller  should  find  time  to  visit,  —  a  quaint 
building,  with  a  few  antique  paintings  upon  the  walls 
and  an  atmosphere  of  past  ages  permeating  its  dim 
interior.  Only  the  sacred  rust  of  this  old  temple 
makes  it  worthy  of  attention.  In  and  about  the  hum- 
ble settlement  lovely  wild-flowers  were  observed  in 
profusion,  —  an  agreeable  surprise,  for  we  had  liardly 
expected  to  find  these  "  smiles  of  God's  goodness  " 
so  far  north,  within  the  Arctic  Circle.  Among  tliem 
were  the  butterfly-orchis  and  Alpine  lady's-mantle,  be- 
sides a  goodly  crop  of  primroses,  all  the  more  at- 
tractive because  of  the  seemingly  unpropitious  region 
where  they  were  blooming.  Here  our  earnest  but  sim- 
ple old  friend  the  botanist  revelled  in  his  specialty. 


THE   SHARK'S    TEETH   ISLANDS.  125 

indeed  lost  himself  as  it  seemed,  for  when  we  sailed 
he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen,  and  was  surely  left  behind. 
"  Did  he  take  his  baggage  with  him  ? "  we  asked  of  an 
officer  of  the  shi}).  "  No,  he  had  none,"  was  the  reply. 
And  so  wc  had  parted  from  the  absorbed  gentle  old 
scientist,  without  a  word  of  farewell.  Louis  Philippe 
lived  for  a  brief  ])eriod  at  Bodoe  when  travelling  as  a  ref- 
ugee under  the  name  of  Midler,  and  visitors  are  shown 
the  room  which  he  occupied.  Under  favorable  circum- 
stances the  midnight  sun  is  visible  here  for  a  period 
of  about  four  weeks  each  season,  and  many  persons 
tarry  at  Bodoe  to  obtain  the  desired  view  without  the 
trouble  of  travelling  farther  northward.  By  ascend- 
ing the  lofty  hill  called  Lobsaas,  one  gets  here  also  a 
grand  though  distant  view  of  the  remarkable  Lofodcn 
Islands. 

After  leaving  Bodoe  the  course  of  the  steamers  lies 
directly  across  the  Yestfjord  to  the  islands  just  re- 
ferred to,  whose  jagged  outlines  have  been  compared 
to  the  teeth  which  line  a  shark's  mouth.  They  lie  so 
close  together,  particularly  on  the  side  by  which  we 
ajiproachcd  them,  that  no  opening  was  visible  in  their 
long  undulating  mountain-chain  until  the  vessel  came 
close  upon  them  and  entered  a  narrow  winding  pas- 
sage among  rocks  and  cliffs  which  formed  an  en- 
trance channel  to  the  archipelago.  In  crossing  the 
open  sea  wliich  lies  between  the  main-land  and  the 
islands  rough  weather  is  often  encountered,  but  once 
within  the  shelter  of  the  group,  the  waters  become 
calm  and  mirror-like  in  smoothness.     The   passage 


126  DUE  NORTH. 

through  the  myriad  isles  and  from  one  to  another, 
now  rounding  sharp  points  and  now  making  a  complete 
angle  in  the  course,  renders  it  necessary  to  "  slow 
down"  the  steamer,  so  that  she  glides  silently  over 
the  immense  depths  of  dark  waters  as  if  propelled  by 
some  strange  mysterious  power  below  her  hull.  The 
Lofodens,  owing  to  the  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  as 
seen  from  Bodoe,  appear  to  be  about  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  away  on  the  edge  of  the  horizon,  but  the  real 
distance  is  nearly  or  quite  fifty.  The  play  of  light 
and  shade  is  here  so  different  from  that  of  lower  lati- 
tudes that  the  atmosphere  seems  at  times  to  be  almost 
telescopic,  and  the  most  experienced  traveller  finds 
himself  often  deceived  in  judging  of  distances. 

A  little  to  the  westward  of  the  steamer's  course 
in  coming  hither  from  the  main-land  lies  the  famous 
vortex  known  as  the  Maelstrom,  the  theme  of  many 
a  romance  and  wild  conjecture  which  lives  in  the 
memory  of  every  schoolboy.  At  certain  stages  of 
the  wind  and  tide  a  fierce  eddy  is  formed  here,  which 
is  perhaps  somewhat  dangerous  for  very  small  boats 
to  cross,  but  the  presumed  risk  to  vessels  of  the  size 
of  common  coasting-craft  under  proper  management 
is  an  error.  At  some  stages  of  the  tide  it  is  difficult 
even  to  detect  the  exact  spot  which  at  other  times  is 
so  disturbed.  Thus  we  find  tliat  another  fact  of  our 
credulous  youth  turns  out  to  be  a  fable,  with  a  very 
thin  substratum  of  fact  for  its  foundation.  The 
tragedies  recorded  in  connection  with  the  Venetian 
Bridge  of  Sighs  are  proven  to  be  mostly  gross  an- 


THE  LOFODEN  ISLANDS.  127 

achronisms  ;  the  episode  of  Tell  and  the  apple  was 
a  Swiss  fabrication ;  and  now  we  know  that  neither 
ships  nor  whales  were  ever  drawn  into  the  Norwegian 
Maelstrom  to  instant  destruction.  There  are  several 
other  similar  rapids  in  and  about  these  pinnacled 
islands,  identical  in  their  cause,  though  the  one  re- 
ferred to  is  the  most  restless  and  formidable. 

On  close  examination  the  Lofodens  were  found  to 
consist  of  a  maze  of  irregular  mountain-peaks  and 
precipices,  often  between  two  and  three  thousand  feet 
in  height,  the  passage  between  them  being  very  tor- 
tuous, winding  amid  straits  interspersed  with  hun- 
dreds of  small  rocky  islets  which  were  the  home  of 
large  flocks  of  sea-birds.  "  It  seemed,"  as  was  ex- 
l)ressively  remarked  by  a  lady  passenger,  "  like  sailing 
through  Switzerland."  Dwarf-trees,  small  patches  of 
green  grass  and  moss  grew  near  the  water's  edge,  and 
carpeted  here  and  there  a  few  acres  of  level  soil ;  but 
the  high  ridges  were  bleak  and  bare  rock,  covered  in 
spots  with  never-melting  snow  and  ice.  Most  of  the 
coast  of  Norway  is  composed  of  metamorphic  rock ; 
but  these  islands  are  of  granite,  and  for  marvellous 
jteaks  and  oddly-pointed  shapes,  deep,  far-reaching 
gulches  and  canons,  are  unequalled  elsewhere.  It 
seemed  to  us  marvellous  that  a  steamer  could  be 
safely  navigated  through  such  narrow  passages  and 
among  such  myriads  of  sunken  rocks.  These  eleva- 
tions from  beneath  the  sea  varied  from  mere  turtle- 
backs,  as  the  sailors  called  them.  Just  visible  above 
the  water,  to  mountains  with  sky-kissing  peaks.     For 


128  DUE   NORTH. 

a  vessel  to  run  upon  one  of  the  low  hummocks  would 
be  shuply  destruction,  the  water  alongside  being 
rarely  less  than  two  or  three  hundred  fathoms  in 
depth.  Fortunately  the  sea  is  mostly  quite  smooth 
within  the  shelter  of  the  archipelago,  otherwise  steam- 
vessels  would  rarely  enter  it.  The  compass  is  brought 
but  little  into  use.  The  pilots  distinguish  rocks  and 
promontories  by  their  peculiar  physiognomy,  and  they 
steer  from  point  to  point  with  remarkable  accuracy, 
arriving  and  departing  from  given  stations  with  the 
variation  of  but  a  few  minutes  from  the  time  laid 
down  upon  their  schedules.  Each  steamer  running 
upon  the  coast  carries  two  pilots,  independent  of  the 
other  officers  of  the  ship,  one  of  whom  is  always 
at  the  wheel  when  the  vessel  is  under  way.  They 
are  chosen  for  their  responsible  character  and  their 
knowledge  of  the  route,  and  they  very  justly  command 
high  wages.  We  stopped  briefly  at  Henningsva^r,  the 
centre  of  the  Lofoden  cod-fishery  establishments.  It 
is  a  small  town  situated  at  the  base  of  the  Vaagekelle 
Mountain,  an  elevation  between  three  and  four  thou* 
sand  feet  high.  The  place  smells  rank  to  heaven  of 
dried  fish  and  cod-liver  oil,  the  combined  stench  of 
which  articles,  with  that  of  decaying  refuse  lying 
everywhere,  was  truly  overpowering.  The  hardy  fish- 
ermen work  nearly  all  winter  at  their  rough  occupa- 
tion, braving  the  tempestuous  Northern  ocean  in  frail 
undecked  boats,  which  to  an  inexperienced  eye  seem 
utterly  unfit  for  such  exposed  service.  T]ie  harvest- 
time  to  the  cod-fishers  here  is  from  January  to  the 


THE    VESTERAALEN   ISLANDS.  129 

middle  of  April.  Casualties  arc  of  course  frequent, 
but  we  were  told  that  they  arc  not  remarkably  so. 
Winter  fishing  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland  is  be- 
lieved to  be  the  annual  cause  of  more  fatalities  than 
arc  experienced  among  the  Lofodcn  fishermen.  Some- 
times this  region  is  visited  by  terrible  hurricanes,  as 
was  the  case  in  1848,  on  which  occasion  five  hundred 
fishermen  were  swept  into  eternity  in  one  hour.  Their 
boats  are  built  of  Norway  spruce  or  pine,  and  are  very 
light,  scarcely  more  seaworthy  than  a  Swampscott 
dory.  Each  has  a  single,  portable  mast  which  carries 
one  square  sail.  The  crew  of  a  boat  generally  con- 
sists of  six  men.  These  live  when  on  shore  in  little 
log-huts,  each  containing  a  score  or  more  of  bunks 
ranged  along  the  sides  one  above  another.  The  men 
come  hither,  as  has  been  intimated,  from  all  parts 
of  the  North,  and  return  home  at  the  close  of  the 
fishing  season. 

It  should  be  made  clear  to  the  reader's  mind  that 
these  matchless  islands  off  the  northwest  coast  of 
Norway  consist  of  two  divisions,  —  the  Lofodcn  and 
Vesteraalen  isles.  The  Vestfjord  separates  the  for- 
mer from  the  main-land  and  the  Ofotenfjord ;  and  a 
prolongation  of  the  Vestfjord  separates  the  latter 
from  Norway  proper.  These  two  groups  are  sepa- 
rated from  each  other  ])y  the  Raftsund.  All  the 
islands  on  the  west  of  this  boundary  belong  to  the 
Lofodcn,  and  those  on  the  east  and  north  to  the  Ves- 
teraalen group.  The  total  length  of  all  these  islands 
is  about  a  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  and  the  area  is 
9 


130  DUE  NORTH. 

computed  at  fifteen  hundred  and  sixty  square  miles. 
These  estimates,  we  were  informed,  had  lately  been 
very  nearly  corroborated  by  actual  government  sur- 
vey. The  population  of  the  islands  will  not  vary 
much  from  twenty  thousand.  The  entire  occupation 
of  the  people  is  fishing,  curing  the  fish,  and  shipping 
them  southward.  Some  of  the  shrewdest  persons  en- 
gaged in  this  business  accumulate  moderate  fortunes 
in  a  few  years,  when  they  naturally  seek  some  more 
genial  home  upon  the  main-land.  The  large  islands 
contain  rivers  and  lakes  of  considerable  size,  but  the 
growth  of  trees  in  this  high  latitude  is  sparse,  and 
when  found  they  are  universally  dwarfed.  There  is, 
however,  as  the  product  of  the  brief  summer  season, 
an  abundance  of  fresh  green  vegetation,  which  is  fos- 
tered by  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere.  Still  the 
prevailing  aspect  is  that  of  towering,  jagged  rocks. 
Though  the  winters  are  long,  they  are  comparatively 
mild,  so  much  so  that  the  salt  water  does  not  freeze 
in  or  about  the  group  at  any  time  of  the  year.  As 
to  the  scenery,  the  Lofodens  must  be  admitted  to  sur- 
pass in  true  sublimity  and  grandeur  anything  of  their 
nature  to  be  found  in  southern  Europe.  There  is 
ample  evidence  showing  that  in  long  past  ages  these 
islands  were  much  more  extensive  than  at  present, 
and  that  they  Avere  once  covered  with  abundant  veg- 
etation. But  violent  convulsions  in  the  mean  time 
must  have  rent  them  asunder,  submerging  some  en- 
tirely, and  elevating  others  into  their  present  irreg- 
ular shapes. 


THE   STRAIT  OF  RAFTS UND.  131 

In  pursuing  her  course  towards  the  North  Cape,  the 
steamer  for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  and  more  glides 
through  a  strait  remarkable  for  its  picturesqueness  and 
unique  beauty,  which  is  called  the  Raftsund.  Here 
the  shore  is  studded  by  the  tiny  red  cabins  of  the  fish- 
ermen, surrounded  by  green  low-growing  foliage,  the 
earth-covered  roofs  of  the  huts  often  spread  with  pur- 
ple heather-bloom,  mingled  about  the  eaves  with  moss 
of  intensely  verdant  hue.  The  high  slopes  of  the  hills 
are  covered  with  Alpine  moss,  and  the  upper  cliffs 
with  snow,  whose  yielding  tears,  persuaded  by  the 
warm  sun,  feed  opalescent  cascades ;  while  below  and 
all  about  the  ship  are  the  deep  dark  waters  of  the 
Polar  Sea.  Neither  the  majestic  Alps,  the  glowing 
Pyrenees,  nor  the  commanding  Apennines  ever  im- 
pressed us  like  these  wild,  wrinkled,  rock-bound  moun- 
tains in  their  virgin  mantles  of  frost.  The  sensation 
when  gazing  in  wonder  upon  the  far-away  Himalayas, 
the  loftiest  range  on  the  earth,  was  perhaps  more 
overpowering ;  but  the  nearness  to  these  abrupt  cliffs, 
volcanic  islands,  mountaius,  and  glaciers  in  boreal 
regions  made  it  seem  more  like  Wonderland.  The 
traveller  looks  heavenward  from  the  deck  of  the 
steamer  to  see  the  apex  of  the  steep  walls,  stern,  mas- 
sive, and  immovable,  which  line  the  fjords,  lost  in  the 
blue  sky,  or  wreathed  in  gauzy  mantles  of  mist-clouds, 
as  he  may  have  looked  upward  from  the  deep,  green 
valley  of  the  Yosemite  at  the  lofty  crowns  of  Mount 
Starr  King,  El  Capitan,  or  Sentinel  Dome.  On  again 
approaching  the  main-land  the  varying  panorama  is 


132  DUE  NORTH. 

similarly  impressive,   though    differing   in   kind.     It 
will  be  remembered  that  the  coast  of  Norway  extends 
three  hundred  miles  north  of  the  Arctic  Circle,  pro- 
jecting itself  boldly  into  the  Polar  Sea,  and  that  two 
hundred  miles  and  more  of  this  distance  is  north  of 
the  Lofoden  Island  group.     Now  and  then  reaches  of 
country  are  passed  affording  striking  and  beautiful 
landscape  effects,  whei'c  valleys  open  towards  the  sea, 
affording  views  sometimes  capped  b\-  glaciers  high  up 
towards  the  overhanging  sky,  where  they  form  im- 
mense level  fields  of  dazzling  ice  embracing  hundreds 
of  square  miles.     The  enjoyment  of  a  trip  along  the 
coast  is  largely  dependent  upon  the  condition  of  the 
weather,  which  is  frequently  very  disagreeable.     In 
this  respect  the  author  was  greatly  favored.     The  ab- 
sence of  fog  and  mist  was  remarkable,  while  the  water 
most  of  the  time  was  as  smooth  as  a  pleasure  pond. 
With  a  heavy,  rolling  sea  and  stormy  weather,  the 
trip  northward  from  Bodtie,  and  especially  among  the 
Lofodens,  would  be  anything  but  enjoyable.     Some- 
times fancy  led  us  to  gaze  lazily  over  the  bulwarks 
into  the  mirroring  sea  for  long  distances,  where  moun- 
tains, gorges,  foaming  torrents,  and  sheer  precipices 
were  even  moi-e  sharply  depicted  than  when  gazing 
directly  at  them.     A  feeling  of  loneliness  is  sure  to 
creep  over  the  solitary  traveller  at  such  times,  a  long- 
ing for  some  congenial  companion  with  whom  to  share 
all  this  glowing  experience.     "  Joy  was  born  a  twin." 
Fulness  of  appreciation  and  delight  can  be  reached 
only  by  being  shared. 


THE   SVARTISEN   GLACIER.  133 

Amid  such  scenes  as  we  have  described  rises  the 
enormous  Svartisen  glacier,  its  ice  and  snow  defying 
the  power  of  the  sun.  This  glacier  is  many  miles  in 
length  and  nearly  as  wide  as  it  is  long,  covering  a 
})lateau  four  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
The  dimensions  given  the  author  upon  the  spot  were 
so  mammoth  that  he  hesitates  to  record  them ;  but  it 
is  by  far  the  most  extensive  one  he  has  ever  seen. 
Sulitelma,  the  highest  mountain  in  Lapland,  six  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea,  crowned  by  a  shroud  of  eter- 
nal snow,  comes  into  view,  though  it  is  nearly  fifty 
miles  inland.  The  snow-level  about  this  latitude  of 
69"^  north  is  five  hundred  feet  above  that  of  the  sea, 
below  which,  wherever  the  earth  can  find  a  foothold 
on  the  rocks,  all  is  delightfully  green,  —  a  tender  del- 
icate green,  such  as  marks  tlie  early  spring  foliage  of 
New  England,  or  the  leaves  of  the  young  locust.  The 
heat  of  the  brief  summer  sun  is  intense,  and  insect 
life  thrives  marvellously  in  common  with  the  more 
welcome  vegetation.  Birch  and  willow  trees  seem 
best  adapted  to  withstand  the  rigor  of  these  regions, 
and  they  thrive  in  the  warm  season  with  a  vitality 
and  beauty  of  effect  which  is  heightened  by  the  ever- 
present  contrast.  Every  hour  of  the  voyage  seemed 
burdened  with  novelty,  and  ceaseless  vigilance  pos- 
sessed every  faculty.  A  transparent  haze  at  mid-day 
or  midnight  lay  like  a  golden  veil  over  land  and  sea; 
ol)jects  even  at  a  short  distance  presented  a  shadowy 
and  an  unreal  aspect.  The  rough  and  barren  islands 
which  wc  passed  in  our  midnight  course  often  exhib- 


134  DUE  NORTH 

ited  one  side  glorified  with  gorgeous  roseate  hues, 
while  casting  sombre  and  mysterious  shadows  behind 
them,  which  produced  a  strangely  weird  effect,  half 
of  delight,  half  of  awe,  while  the  long  superb  trail  of 
sunlight  crept  towards  us  from  the  horizon. 

The  attractions  of  Norway  to  the  artist  are  many, 
and  in  a  great  measure  they  are  unique,  especially  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  west  coast.  No  two  of 
tlie  many  abrupt  elevations  resemble  each  other,  all 
are  erratic  ;  some  like  Alpine  cathedrals  seemingly 
rear  their  fretted  spires  far  heavenward,  where  they 
echo  the  hoarse  anthems  played  by  the  winters' 
storms.  One  would  think  that  Nature  in  a  wayward 
mood  had  tried  her  hand  sportively  at  architecture, 
sculpture,  and  castle-building,  —  constructing  now  a 
high  monumental  column  or  a  mounted  warrior,  and 
now  a  Gothic  fane  amid  regions  strange,  lonely,  and 
savage.  There  are  grand  mountains  and  glaciers  in 
Switzerland,  but  they  do  not  rise  directly  out  of  the 
ocean  as  they  do  here  in  Scandinavia ;  and  as  to  the 
scenery  afforded  by  the  innumerable  fjords  winding  in- 
land, amid  forests,  cliffs,  and  impetuous  waterfalls,  no- 
where else  can  these  be  seen  save  on  this  remarkable 
coast.  Like  rivers,  and  yet  so  unlike  them  in  width, 
depth,  and  placidity,  with  their  broad  mouths  guarded 
by  clustering  islands,  one  can  find  nothing  in  Nature 
more  grand,  solemn,  and  impressive  than  a  Norwe- 
gian fjord.  Now  and  again  the  shores  are  lined  for 
brief  distances  by  the  greenest  of  green  pastures, 
dotted  with  'ittle  red  houses  and  groups  of  domestic 


ARTISTIC  ASPECTS   OF  SCANDIiYAVIA.      135 

animals,  forming  bits  of  verdant  foreground  backed 
\)y  dark  gorges.  Down  precipitous  cliffs  leap  cas- 
cades, which  are  fed  by  ice-fields  hidden  in  the  lofty 
mountains  so  close  at  hand.  These  are  not  merely 
pretty  spouts  like  many  a  little  Swiss  device,  but 
grand,  plunging,  restless  torrents,  conveying  heavy 
volumes  of  foaming  water.  An  artist's  eye  would 
revel  in  the  twilight  glory  of  carmine,  orange,  and 
indigo  which  floods  the  atmosphere  and  the  sea  amid 
such  scenery  as  we  have  faintly  depicted. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Birds  of  the  Arctic  Regions.  —  Effect  of  Continuous  Daylight.  —  Town 
of  Tromsbe.  —  The  Aurora  Borealis.  —  Love  of  Flowers.  —  The 
Growth  of  Trees.  —  Butterflies.  —  Home  Flowers.  —  Trees.  —  Shoot- 
ing Whales  with  Cannon.  —  Pre-Historic  Relics.  —  About  Lap- 
landers.—  Eider  Ducks. — A  Norsk  Wedding  Present.  —  Gjrpsies 
of  the  North.  —  Pagan  Rites.  —  The  Use  of  the  Pieindeer.  —  Domes- 
tic Life  of  the  Lapps.  —  Marriage  Ceremony.  —  A  Gypsy  Queen.  — 
Lapp  Babies.  —  Graceful  Acknowledgment. 

We  have  said  nothing  about  the  feathered  tribes 
of  Norway,  though  all  along  this  coast,  which  is  so 
eaten  and  corroded  by  the  action  of  the  sea,  the  birds 
are  nearly  as  numerous  as  the  fishes.  They  are  far 
more  abundant  than  the  author  has  ever  seen  them 
in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  Many  islands,  be- 
ginning at  the  Lofodens  and  reaching  to  the  extreme 
end  of  the  peninsula,  are  solely  occupied  by  them  as 
breeding  places.  Their  numbers  are  beyond  calcula- 
tion ;  one  might  as  well  try  to  get  at  the  aggregate 
number  of  flies  in  a  given  space  in  midsummer.  They 
consist  of  petrels,  swans,  geese,  pelicans,  grebes, 
auks,  gulls,  and  divers  ;  these  last  are  more  particu- 
larly of  the  duck  family,  of  which  there  are  over  thirty 
distinct  species  in  and  about  this  immediate  region. 
Curlews,  wandering  albatrosses,  ptarmigans,  cormo- 
rants, and  osprcys  were  also  observed,  besides  some 
birds   of   beautiful    })lumage  wliosc  names  were  un- 


EFFECT  OF   CONTINUOUS   DAYLIGHT.       137 

known  to  ns.  Throngliout  all  Scandinavia  the  many 
lakes,  so  numerous  as  to  be  unknown  by  name,  also 
abound  with  water-fowl  of  nearly  every  description 
habitual  to  the  North.  These  inland  regions  afford 
an  abundance  of  the  white  grouse,  which  may  be 
called  the  national  bird  of  Xorway,  where  it  so  much 
abounds.  The  author  has  nowhere  seen  such  fine 
specimens  of  this  bird  except  in  the  mountains  of 
Colorado,  where  it  is  however  very  rarely  captured. 
In  Scandinavia  it  changes  the  color  of  its  plumage 
very  curiously,  from  a  summer  to  a  winter  hue.  In 
the  first  named  season  these  birds  have  a  reddish 
brown  tinge,  quite  clear  and  distinctive ;  but  in  winter 
their  plumage  becomes  of  snowy  whiteness,  —  a  fact 
from  which  naturalists  are  prone  to  draw  some  fine- 
spun deductions. 

As  we  advanced  farther  and  farther  northward 
our  experiences  became  more  and  more  peculiar. 
It  seemed  that  humanity,  like  Nature  about  us,  was 
possessed  of  a  certain  insomnia  in  these  regions 
during  the  constant  reign  of  daylight.  People  were 
wide  awake  and  busy  at  their  various  occupations  dur- 
ing all  hours,  while  the  drowsy  god  seemed  to  have 
departed  on  a  long  journey  to  the  southward.  The 
apparent  incongruity  of  starting  upon  a  fresh  enter- 
])rise  "  in  the  dead  vast  and  middle  of  the  night " 
was  only  realized  on  consulting  one's  watch. 

To  meet  the  temporary  exigency  caused  by  contin- 
uous daylight,  as  to  whether  one  meant  day  or  night 
time  in  chiving  the  figure  on  the  dial,  the  passengers 


138  DUE   NORTH. 

adopted  an  ingenious  mode  of  counting  the  hours. 
Thus  after  twelve  o'clock  midday  the  count  went  on 
thirteen,  fourteen,  and  fifteen  o'clock,  until  midnight, 
which  was  twenty-four  o'clock.  This  is  a  mode  of 
designation  adopted  in  both  China  and  Italy. 

Tromsoe  is  situated  in  latitude  69°  38'  north,  upon 
a  small  but  pleasant  ^«land,  though  it  is  rather  low 
compared  with  the  surrounding  islands  and  the  near- 
est main-land,  but  clothed  when  we  saw  it,  in  July,  to 
the  very  highest  point  with  exquisite  verdure.  It  is  a 
gay  and  thrifty  little  pla<;e  built  upon  a  slope,  studded 
here  and  there  with  attractive  villas  amid  the  trees ; 
but  the  business  portion  of  the  town  is  quite  compact, 
and  lies  closely  about  the  shore.  It  is  the  largest  and 
most  important  settlement  in  northern  Norway,  being 
the  capital  of  Norwegian  Lapland,  and  having  about 
six  thousand  inhabitants.  It  rises  to  the  dignity  of  a 
cathedral,  and  is  the  seat  of  a  bishopric.  In  the  Market 
Place  is  a  substantial  Town  Hall,  and  a  neat  though 
small  Roman  Catholic  church.  There  is  also  here 
an  excellent  Museum,  principally  of  Arctic  curiosities 
and  objects  relating  to  the  history  of  the  Lapps  and 
Finlandcrs,  with  a  fair  zoological  department,  also 
possessing  a  fine  collection  of  Alpine  minerals.  There 
are  several  schools,  one  of  which  is  designed  to  pre- 
pare teachers  for  their  special  occupation,  somewhat 
after  the  style  of  our  Normal  Schools.  It  must  be 
admitted,  however,  that  the  lower  order  of  the  people 
here  are  both  ignorant  and  superstitious ;  still,  the 
conclusion  was  that  Tromsoe  is  one  of  the  most  inter- 


THE    TOWN   OF   TROMSOE.  139 

esting  spots  selected  as  a  popular  centre  within  the 
Arctic  Circle.  Both  to  the  north  and  south  of  the 
town  snow-clad  mountains  shut  off  distant  views. 
During  the  winter  months  there  are  only  four  hours  of 
daylight  here  out  of  each  twenty-four,  —  that  is,  from 
ahout  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  until  two  o'clock  P.  M. ;  but  the 
long  winter  nights  are  made  comparatively  light  by  the 
glowing  and  constant  splendor  of  the  Aurora  Borea- 
lis.  The  pride  of  Tromsoe  is  its  cathedral,  which  con- 
tains some  really  fine  w'ood-carving  ;  but  the  structure 
is  small  and  has  no  architectural  merit.  Though 
regular  services  are  held  here  on  the  Sabbath,  that  is 
about  the  only  apparent  observation  of  the  day  by  the 
people.  Games  and  out-door  sports  are  played  in  the 
very  churchyard,  and  balls  and  parties  are  given  in 
the  evening  of  the  Lord's  Day  ;  evidently  they  do  not 
belong  to  that  class  of  people  w^ho  think  Sunday  is  a 
sponge  with  which  to  wipe  out  the  sins  of  the  week. 
The  streets  are  ornamented  by  the  mountain-ash, 
birch-trees,  and  the  wild  cherry,  ranged  uniformly 
on  either  side  of  the  broad  thoroughfares.  In  one 
place  it  was  noticed  that  a  miniature  park  had  been 
begun  by  the  planting  of  numerous  young  trees. 
The  birches  in  this  neighborhood  are  of  a  grandly 
developed  species,  the  handsomest  indeed  Avhich  we 
remember  to  have  seen  anywhere.  Just  outside  the 
town  there  was  observed  a  field  golden  with  butter- 
cujjs,  making  it  difficult  to  realize  that  we  were  in 
Arctic  regions.  A  pink-bloomiug  heather  also  car- 
peted other  small  fields  ;  and  here  for  a  moment  we 


140  DUE  NORTH. 

were  agreeably  surprised  at  beholding  a  tiny  cloud  of 
butterflies,  so  abundant  in  the  warm  sunshine  and 
presenting  such  transparency  of  color,  as  to  suggest 
the  idea  that  some  rainbow  had  been  shattered  and 
was  floating  in  myriad  particles  on  the  buoyant  air. 
The  short-lived  summer  perhaps  maivcs  flowers  all 
the  more  prized  and  the  more  carefully  tended.  In 
the  rudest  quarters  a  few  pet  plants  were  seen,  whose 
arrangement  and  nurture  showed  womanly  care  and 
tenderness.  Every  window  in  the  humble  dwellings 
had  its  living  screen  of  drooping  many-colored  fuch- 
sias, geraniums,  forget-me-nots,  and  monthly  roses. 
The  ivy  is  especially  prized  here,  and  is  picturesquely 
trained  to  hang  gracefully  about  the  architraves  of  the 
windows.  The  fragrant  sweet-pea,  with  its  combined 
snow-white  and  peach-blossom  hues,  was  often  mingled 
prettily  with  the  dark  green  of  the  ivy,  the  climbing 
propensities  of  each  making  them  fitting  companions. 
In  one  or  two  windows  was  seen  the  brilliant, flower- 
ing bignonia  (Trumpet-vine),  and  an  abundance  of 
soft  green,  rose-scented  geraniums.  Surely  there  must 
be  an  innate  sense  of  refinement  among  the  people  of 
these  frost-imbued  regions,  whatever  their  seeming, 
when  they  are  actuated  by  such  delicate  apprecia- 
tions. "They  are  useless  rubbish,"  said  a  complain- 
ing husband  to  his  hard-working  wife,  referring  to  her 
little  store  of  flowers.  "  Useless  ! "  replied  the  true 
woman,  "  how  dare  you  be  wiser  than  God  ?  " 

Vegetation  within  the  Arctic  Circle  is  possessed  of 
an  individual  vitality  which  seems  to  be  independent 


THE    (JIlOWTll   OF    TREES  141 

of  atmospheric  inllucucc.  Plants  seem  to  have  thawed 
a  little  space  about  them  before  the  snow  quite  dis- 
appeared, and  to  have  peeped  forth  from  their  frost- 
surrounded  bed  in  the  full  vigor  of  life,  while  the 
grass  springs  up  so  suddenly  that  its  growth  must 
have  been  well  started  under  cover  of  the  snow.  One 
of  the  most  interesting  subjects  of  study  to  the  trav- 
eller on  the  journey  northward  is  to  mark  his  pro- 
gress by  the  products  of  the  forest.  The  trees  will 
prove,  if  intelligently  observed,  as  definite  in  regard 
to  fixing  his  position  as  an  astronomical  observation 
could  do.  From  the  region  of  the  date  and  the  palm 
we  come  to  that  of  the  fig  and  the  olive,  thence  to  the 
orange,  the  almond,  and  the  myrtle.  Succeeding  these 
we  find  the  walnut,  the  poplar,  and  the  lime  ;  and 
again  there  comes  the  region  of  the  elm,  the  oak,  and 
tlie  sycamore.  These  will  be  succeeded  by  the  larch, 
the  fir,  the  pine,  the  birch,  and  their  companions. 
After  this  point  we  look  for  no  change  of  species,  but 
a  diminution  in  size  of  these  last  enumerated.  The 
variety  of  trees  is  of  course  the  result  of  altitude  as 
well  as  of  latitude,  since  there  are  mountain  regions 
in  southern  Europe,  as  well  as  in  America,  Avhcre  one 
may  pass  in  a  few  hours  from  tlic  region  of  the  olive 
to  that  of  the  stunted  pine  or  fir. 

The  staple  commodities  of  Tromsoe  are  Lapps,  rein- 
deer, and  midnight  sun.  The  universal  occupation 
is  that  of  fishing  for  cod,  sharks,  and  whales,  to  whicli 
may  be  added  the  curing  or  drying  of  the  first  and 
the  "  trying  out"  of  the  latter,  supplemented  by  Ihf 


142  DUE  NORTH. 

treatment  of  cods'  livers.  From  this  place  vessels  are 
fitted  out  for  Polar  expeditions,  which  creates  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  local  business  in  the  ship  chandlery 
line.  French,  German,  English,  Russian,  and  Danish 
flags  were  observed  floating  from  the  shipping  in  the 
harbor,  which  presented  a  scene  of  considerable  activ- 
ity for  so  small  a  port.  Some  of  these  vessels  were 
fitting  for  the  capture  of  seals  and  walruses  among 
the  ice-fields  of  the  Polar  Sea,  and  also  on  the  coast  of 
Spitzbergen  and  Nova  Zembla.  A  small  propeller  was 
seen  lying  in  the  stream  fitted  with  a  forecastle  gun, 
from  whence  to  fire  a  lance  at  whales,  —  a  species  of 
big  fishing  which  is  profitably  pursued  here.  A  huge 
carcass  of  this  leviathan  was  stranded  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  harbor  from  where  we  were  moored,  and  it 
is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that  its  decaying  condition 
rendered  the  atmosphere  extremely  offensive.  As 
we  lay  at  anchor  little  row-boats,  with  high  bows 
and  sterns,  flitted  about  the  bay  like  sea-birds  on  the 
wing,  and  rode  as  lightly  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
These  were  often  "  manned "  by  a  couple  of  sturdy, 
bronzed  women,  who  rowed  with  great  precision  and 
stout  arms,  their  eyes  and  faces  glowing  with  anima- 
tion. These  boats,  of  the  same  model  as  that  thou- 
sand-year old  Viking  ship  at  Christiania,  seemed  to 
set  very  low  in  the  water  amidsliip,  but  yet  were  re- 
markable for  their  buoyancy,  sliarp  bows  and  sterns, 
and  the  ease  with  which  they  were  propelled.  The  tall 
wooden  fish-packing  houses  which  line  the  wharves 
suggest  the  prevailing  industry  of  the  place.     A  long, 


PRE-HISTOniC  RELICS.  143 

low  white  building  upon  the  hill-side  also  showed  that 
the  manufacture  of  rope  and  cordage  is  a  prominent 
industry  of  the  locality. 

The  Lapps  in  their  quaint  and  picturesque  costumes 
surrounded  the  newly  arrived  steamer  in  their  boats, 
offering  furs,  carved  horn  implements,  moccasons,  wal- 
rus-teeth, and  the  like  for  sale.  These  wares  are  of 
the  rudest  type,  and  of  no  possible  use  to  civilized 
people  ;  but  they  arc  curious,  and  serve  as  mementos 
of  the  traveller's  visit  to  these  northern  latitudes.  In 
the  town  there  are  several  stores  where  goods,  manu- 
factured by  the  better  class  of  Lapps,  can  be  had  of  a 
finer  quality  than  is  offered  by  these  itinerants,  who 
are  very  ready  to  pass  off  inferior  articles  upon  stran- 
gers. Their  drinking-cups,  platters,  and  dishes  gen- 
erally are  made  of  the  wood  of  the  birch.  Spoons 
and  forks  are  formed  of  the  horns  and  bones  of  the 
reindeer.  In  the  fancy  line  they  make  some  curi- 
ous bracelets  from  the  roots  of  the  birch-tree.  These 
Lapps  are  very  shrewd  in  trade,  and  are  not  without 
plenty  of  low  cunning  hidden  behind  their  brown,  with- 
ered, and  expressionless  faces. 

On  the  main-land  near  by,  as  we  were  told,  there  are 
some  singular  relics  of  antiquity,  such  as  a  series  of 
large  stones  uniformly  arranged  in  circles,  and  high 
cairns  of  stone  containing  in  their  centres  one  or  more 
square  chambers.  At  one  place  in  this  district  there 
is  a  remarkable  mound  of  reindeer's  horns  and  hu- 
man bones,  mingled  with  those  of  unknown  species  of 
animals.     It  is  believed  that  here,  centuries  ago,  the 


144  DUE   NORTH. 

Lapps  sacrificed  both  animals  and  human  beings  to 
their  Pagan  deities.  There  are  also  some  deep  earth 
and  rock  caves  found  in  the  same  vicinity,  which  con- 
tain many  human  bones  with  others  of  huge  animals, 
which  have  excited  great  interest  among  scientists. 
In  the  neighborhood  of  Tromsoe,  and  especially  still 
farther  north,  large  numbers  of  eider-duck  are  found, 
so  abundant  that  no  reliable  estimate  can  be  made 
of  their  number.  The  eggs  are  largely  used  by 
the  natives  for  food,  the  nests  being  also  regularly 
robbed  of  the  down,  while  the  birds  with  patient  res- 
ignation continue  for  a  considerable  period  to  lay  eggs 
and  to  renew  the  soft  lining  of  their  nests.  The 
birds  themselves  are  protected  by  law,  no  one  being 
permitted  to  injure  them.  The  male  bird  is  white 
and  black,  the  female  is  brown.  In  size  they  are 
larger  than  our  domestic  ducks.  Landing  almost 
anywhere  in  this  sparsely  inhabited  region  along 
the  coast,  but  more  particularly  upon  the  islands,  one 
finds  the  eider-ducks  upon  their  low  accessible  nests 
built  of  marine  plants  among  the  rocks,  and  during 
incubation  the  birds  are  quite  as  tame  as  barn-yard 
fowls.  The  down  of  these  birds  forms  a  considerable 
source  of  income  to  many  persons  who  make  a  busi- 
ness of  gathering  it.  It  has  always  a  fixed  value,  and 
is  worth,  we  were  told,  in  Tromsoe,  ten  dollars  per 
pound  when  ready  for  market.  The  waste  in  prepar- 
ing it  for  use  is  large,  requiring  four  pounds  of  the 
crude  article  as  it  comos  from  the  nest  to  make  one 
pound  of  the  cleansed,  merchantable  down.    Each  nest 


PECULIARITIES   OF   THE  LAPPS.  145 

during  the  brooding  season  produces  about  a  quarter  of 
a  pound  of  the  uncleansed  article.  When  thoroughly 
prepared,  it  is  so  firm  and  yet  so  clastic  that  the  (pian- 
tity  which  can  be  pressed  between  the  two  hands  will 
suffice  to  properly  stuff  a  bed-quilt.  It  is  customary 
for  a  Norsk  lover  to  present  his  betrothed  with  one  of 
these  quilts  previous  to  espousal,  the  contents  of  which 
he  is  presumed  to  have  gathered  with  his  own  hands, 
A  peculiarity  of  eider-down,  as  we  were  informed,  is 
that  if  picked  by  hand  from  the  breast  of  the  dead 
bird  it  has  no  elasticity  whatever.  The  natural  color 
is  a  pale-brown.  Many  of  the  localities  resorted  to  by 
the  birds  for  breeding  purposes  are  claimed  by  certain 
parties,  who  erect  a  cross  or  some  other  special  mark 
thereon  to  signify  that  such  preserves  are  not  to  be 
poached  upon.  The  birds,  like  the  people,  get  their 
living  mostly  by  fishing,  and  are  attracted  hither  as 
much  by  the  abundance  of  their  natural  food  as  by 
the  isolation  of  their  breeding  haunts. 

The  Lapps  are  to  be  seen  by  scores  in  the  streets  of 
Tromsoe.  They  are  small  in  stature,  being  generally 
under  five  feet,  with  high  cheek-bones,  snub-noses, 
oblique  Mongolian  eyes,  big  mouths,  large  ill-formed 
heads,  faces  preternaturally  aged,  hair  like  meadow 
hay,  and  very  scanty  beards.  Such  is  a  photograph 
of  the  ancient  race  that  once  ruled  the  whole  of  Scan- 
dinavia. By  taking  a  short  trip  inland  one  comes 
upon  their  summer  encampment,  formed  of  a  few  crude 
huts,  outside  of  which  they  generally  live  except  in 
the  winter  months.  A  Lapp  sleeps  wherever  fatigue 
lu 


146  DUE  NORTH. 

or  drunkenness  overcomes  him,  preferring  the  ground, 
but  often  lying  on  the  snow.  He  rises  in  the  morning 
refreshed  from  an  exposure  by  which  nearly  any  civil- 
ized human  being  would  expect  to  incur  lasting  if  not 
fatal  injury.  They  are  the  gypsies  of  the  North,  and 
occupy  a  very  low  place  in  the  social  scale,  certainly 
no  higher  than  that  of  the  Penobscot  Indians  of  Maine. 
Their  faculties  are  of  a  restricted  order,  and  mission- 
ary efforts  among  them  have  never  yet  yielded  any 
satisfactory  results.  Unlike  our  western  Indians  they 
are  of  a  peaceful  nature,  neither  treacherous  nor  re- 
vengeful, but  yet  having  many  of  the  grosser  failings 
of  civilized  life.  They  are  greedy,  avaricious,  very 
dirty,  and  passionately  fond  of  alcoholic  drinks,  but 
we  were  told  that  serious  crimes  were  very  rare 
among  them.  No  people  could  be  more  superstitious, 
as  they  believe  that  the  caves  of  the  half-inaccessible 
mountains  about  them  are  peopled  by  giants  and  evil 
spirits.  They  still  retain  some  of  their  half-pagan 
rites,  such  as  the  use  of  magical  drums  and  tom-toms 
for  conjuring  purposes,  and  to  frighten  away  or  to 
propitiate  supposed  devils,  malicious  diseases,  and  so 
on.  The  most  advanced  of  the  race  are  those  who  in- 
habit northern  Norway.  The  Swedish  Lapps  are  con- 
sidered as  coming  next,  while  those  under  Russian 
dominion  are  thought  to  be  the  lowest. 

An  old  navigator  named  Scrahthrift,  while  making 
a  voyage  of  discovery  northward,  more  than  three 
centuries  ago,  wrote  about  the  Lapps  as  follows : 
,"  They  are  a  wild  people,  whicli  neither  know  God  nor 


REINDEER  AS    WEALTH.  1-47 

yet  good  order ;  and  these  peoj)le  live  in  tents  made 
of  deerskins,  and  they  have  no  certain  habitations, 
but  continue  in  herds  by  companies  of  one  hundred 
or  two  hundred.  They  are  a  people  of  small  stature 
and  are  clothed  in  deerskins,  and  drink  nothing  but 
water,  and  eat  no  bread,  but  flesh  all  raw."  They  may 
have  drunk  nothing  but  water  three  hundred  years 
ago,  but  they  drink  alcohol  enough  in  this  nineteenth 
century  to  make  up  for  all  former  abstemiousness. 
Scrahthrift  wrote  in  1556,  and  gave  the  first  account 
to  the  English-speaking  world  of  this  peculiar  race 
whom  modern  ethnologists  class  with  the  Samoyedes 
of  Siberia  and  the  Esquimaux,  the  three  forming 
what  is  called  the  Hyperborean  Race.  The  word 
Samoyedes  signifies  "  swamp-dwellers,"  and  Esqui- 
mau means  "  eater  of  raw  flesh." 

The  Lapps  are  natural  nomads,  their  wealth  con- 
sisting solely  in  their  herds  of  reindeer,  to  procure 
sustenance  for  which  necessitates  frequent  changes 
of  locality.  A  Laplander  is  rich,  provided  he  owns 
enough  of  these  animals  to  support  himself  and  fam- 
ily. A  herd  that  can  afford  thirty  full-grown  deer 
for  slaughter  annually,  and  say  ten  more  to  be  sold  or 
Ijartered,  makes  a  family  of  a  dozen  persons  comfort- 
ably well  off.  But  to  sustain  such  a  draft  upon  his 
resources,  a  Lapp  must  own  at  least  two  hundred  and 
fifty  head.  There  is  also  a  waste  account  to  be  con- 
sidered. Not  a  few  are  destroyed  annually  by  avoIvcs 
and  bears,  notwithstanding  the  usual  precautions 
against  such  casualties,  while  in  very  severe  winters 


148  DUE  NORTH. 

numbers  are  sure  to  die  of  starvation.  They  live 
almost  entirely  on  the  so-called  reindeer  moss ;  but 
this  failing  them,  they  eat  the  young  twigs  of  the 
trees.  When  the  snow  covers  the  ground  to  a  depth 
of  not  more  than  three  or  four  feet,  these  intelligent 
creatures  dig  holes  in  order  to  reach  the  moss,  and 
guided  by  some  strong  instinct  they  rarely  fail  to  do  so 
in  just  the  right  place.  The  Lapps  themselves  would 
be  entirely  at  a  loss  for  any  indication  Avhere  to  seek  the 
animal's  food  when  it  is  covered  by  the  deep  snow. 

What  the  camel  is  to  the  Arab  of  the  desert,  the 
reindeer  is  to  the  Laplander.  Though  found  here  in 
a  wild  state,  they  are  not  common,  and  are  very  shy 
sometimes  occupying  partially  inaccessible  islands 
near  the  main-land,  swimming  back  and  forth  as  ne- 
cessity may  demand.  The  domestic  deer  is  smaller 
than  those  that  remain  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  is 
said  to  live  only  half  as  long.  When  properly  broken 
to  harness,  they  carry  lashed  to  their  backs  a  hundred 
and  thirty  pounds,  or  drag  upon  the  snow,  when  har- 
nessed to  a  sledge,  two  hundred  .and  fifty  pounds, 
travelling  ten  miles  an  hour,  for  several  consecutive 
hours,  without  apparent  fatigue.  Some  of  t\\Q  thread 
prepared  by  the  Lapp  women  from  the  sinews  of  the 
reindeer  was  shown  to  us,  being  as  fine  as  the  best 
sewing-silk,  and  much  stronger  than  any  silk  thread 
made  by  modern  methods. 

These  diminutive  ]ieople  are  not  so  poorly  off  as 
one  would  at  first  sight  think  them  to  be.  The  cli- 
mate in  which  thcv  live,  thouji'li  terrible  to  us,  is  not 


USES   OF   THE  REINDEER.  149 

SO  to  tbcm.  They  have  their  games,  sports,  and  fes- 
tive hours.  If  their  hardships  were  very  trying  they 
-would  not  be  so  proverbially  long-lived.  Though  an 
ill-formed  race,  they  are  yet  rugged,  hardy,  and  self- 
reliant.  Their  limbs  are  crooked  and  out  of  propor- 
tion to  their  bodies;  one  looks  in  vain  for  a  well-sha})ed 
or  perfect  figure  among  them,  and  indeed  it  may  be 
safely  doubted  whether  a  straight-limbed  Lapp  exists. 
They  are  one  and  all  bow-legged.  The  country  over 
which  these  people  roam  is  included  within  northern 
Norway,  Sweden,  Russia,  and  Finland,  say  extending 
over  seven  thousand  square  miles ;  but  the  whole  race 
will  hardly  number  thirty  thousand  in  the  aggregate. 
Lapland  in  general  terms  may  be  said  to  be  the  region 
lying  between  the  Polar  Ocean  and  the  Arctic  Circle, 
the  eastern  and  western  boundaries  being  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  and  the  White  Sea,  two  thirds  of  which  terri- 
tory belong  to  Russia,  and  one  third  is  about  equally 
divided  between  Norway  and  Sweden. 

We  repeat  that  the  reindeer  is  to  the  Lapp  what  the 
camel  is  to  the  Arab.  This  small  creature  is  the 
Lapp's  cow,  horse,  food,  clothing,  tent,  everything. 
Food  is  not  stored  for  the  animals,  as  they  are  never 
under  cover  even  in  the  severest  weather,  and  they 
must  procure  their  own  food  or  starve.  The  females 
give  but  a  small  quantity  of  milk,  not  more  than  the 
amount  yielded  by  a  well-fed  goat,  but  it  is  remark- 
al)ly  rich  and  nourishing.  Oddly  enough,  as  it  seemed 
to  us,  they  are  milked  but  twice  a  w^eek ;  and  when 
this  process  is  performed,  each  animal  must  be  lassoed 


150  DUE  NORTH. 

and  firmly  held  by  one  person  while  another  milks. 
Many  of  the  doe  on  the  occasion  of  our  visit  were  ac- 
companied by  their  fawns,  of  which  they  often  have 
two  at  a  birth.  These  little  creatures  are  able  to  fol- 
low their  dam  twenty-four  hours  after  birth.  We 
were  told  that  the  bucks  are  inclined  to  kill  the  fawns 
when  they  are  first  born,  but  are  fiercely  attacked  by 
the  dams  and  driven  away.  A  Swiss  chamois  is  not 
more  expert  in  climbing  mountains  than  are  these 
Norway  deer  ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  efficient  help  of 
their  dogs,  which  animals  are  as  sagacious  as  the 
Scotch  sheep-dogs,  the  Lai)ps  would  often  find  it 
nearly  impossible  to  corral  their  herds  for  milking 
and  other  purposes.  In  their  nature  deer  are  really 
untamable,  being  never  brought  into  such  complete 
subjection  as  to  be  quite  safe  for  domestic  use.  Even 
when  broken  to  harness,  that  is  when  attached  to 
the  snow-sledge  or  carrying  burdens  lashed  to  their 
backs,  they  will  sometimes  without  any  premonition 
break  out  into  rank  rebellion  and  violently  attack 
their  masters.  We  were  told  by  an  intelligent  resi- 
dent of  Tromsoe  that  the  Lapps  never  abuse  these 
animals,  even  when  they  are  attacked  by  them.  They 
only  throw  some  garment  upon  the  ground  upon  which 
the  buck  vents  his  rage ;  after  which  the  owner  can 
appear  and  resume  his  former  control  of  the  animal, 
as  though  nothing  had  happened  out  of  the  common 
course  of  events. 

The  Lapps  live  in  low,  open  tents  during  the  sum- 
mer season,  moving  from  place  to  place  as  food  is 


MARRIAGE   CEREMONY  OF   THE   LAPPS.     151 

found  for  tlieir  herds,  but  keeping  near  the  sea-coast 
for  purposes  of  trade,  as  well  as  to  avoid  those  terrible 
pests  the  gad-fly  and  the  mosquito,  insects  too  obnox- 
ious for  even  the  endurance  of  a  Laplander.  In  the 
winter  they  retire  far  inland,  where  they  build  tempo- 
rary huts  of  the  branches  of  the  trees,  plastering 
them  inside  and  out  with  clay,  but  leaving  a  hole 
in  the  top  to  act  as  a  chimney  and  convey  away  the 
smoke,  the  fire  being  always  built  upon  a  broad  fiat 
stone  in  the  centre  of  the  hut.  In  these  rude,  and 
according  to  our  estimate  comfortless,  cabins  they 
hibernate  rather  than  live  the  life  of  civilized  beings 
for  eight  months  of  the  year.  Hunting  and  fishing 
occupy  a  portion  of  their  time ;  and  to  kill  a  bear  is 
considered  a  most  honorable  achievement,  something 
to  boast  of  for  life,  rendering  the  successful  hunter 
quite  a  hero  among  his  associates.  Though  the  forest, 
river,  and  sea  furnish  this  people  with  more  or  less 
food  throughout  the  year,  still  the  Lapp  depends  upon 
his  herd  for  fixed  supplies  of  sustenance.  The  milk 
made  into  cheese  is  his  most  important  article  of 
food,  and  is  stored  for  winter  use.  Few  are  so  poor 
as  not  to  own  forty  or  fifty  reindeer.  The  Norwegians 
and  Swedes  who  live  in  their  neighborhood  have  as 
great  a  prejudice  against  the  Lapps  as  our  Avestern 
citizens  have  against  the  North  American  Indians. 
This  as  regards  the  Lapps  is  perhaps  more  especially 
on  account  of  their  filthiness  and  half-barbarous  habits. 
It  must  be  admitted  that  a  visit  to  their  huts  near 
Tromsoe  leads  one  to  form  an  extremely  unfavorable 


152  DUE  NORTH. 

Opinion  of  the  race.  When  a  couple  of  young  Lapps 
desire  to  become  married  a  priest  is  sometimes  em- 
ployed, but  by  common  acceptation  among  them  the 
bride's  father  is  equally  qualified  to  perform  the  cere- 
mony, which  is  both  original  and  simple.  It  consists 
in  placing  the  hands  of  the  two  contracting  parties  in 
each  other,  and  the  striking  of  fire  with  a  flint  and 
steel,  when  the  marriage  is  declared  to  be  irrevocable. 
Promiscuous  as  their  lives  seem  to  be  in  nearly  all 
respects,  we  were  told  that  when  a  Lapp  woman  was 
once  married  the  attendant  relationship  was  held 
sacred.  Though  it  was  our  fate  to  just  miss  witness- 
ing a  marriage  ceremony  here,  the  bride  and  groom 
were  pointed  out  to  us,  appearing  like  two  children, 
so  diminutive  were  they.  The  dress  of  the  two  sexes 
is  so  similar  that  it  is  not  easy  for  a  stranger  to  dis- 
tinguish at  a  glance  men  from  women,  except  that  the 
latter  are  not  so  tall  as  the  former.  Polygamy  is 
common  among  them.  Men  marry  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  women  at  fifteen ;  but  as  a  race  they  are  not 
prolific,  and  their  numbers,  as  we  were  informed,  are 
steadily  decreasing.  The  average  Laplander  is  less 
than  five  feet  in  height,  and  the  women  rarely  exceed 
four  feet.  The  latter  are  particularly  fond  of  coffee, 
sugar,  and  rye  flour,  which  the  men  care  nothing  for 
so  long  as  they  can  get  corn  brandy,  —  a  local  distil- 
lation quite  colorless  but  very  potent.  The  Norwe- 
gians have  a  saying  of  reproach  concerning  one  who 
is  inclined  to  drink  too  much  :  "  Don't  make  a  Lapp 
of  yourself."      Both  men  and  women  are  inveterate 


.1   HANDSOME  LAPP  MAIDEN.  153 

smokers,  and  next  to  money  you  can  give  tliem  noth- 
ing more  acceptable  than  tobacco. 

Nature  is  soniethnes  anomalous.  Among  the  group 
of  Lapp  men  and  women  whom  we  met  in  the  streets 
of  Tromsoe,  there  stood  one,  a  tall  stately  girl  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  more  or  less,  who  presented  in  her 
really  fine  person  a  singular  contrast  to  her  rude  com- 
panions. Unmistakable  as  to  her  race,  she  was  yet 
a  head  and  shoulders  taller  than  the  rest,  but  posses- 
sing the  high  cheek-bones,  square  face,  and  Mongolian 
cast  of  eyes  which  characterizes  them.  There  was  an 
air  of  dignified  modesty  and  almost  of  beauty  about 
this  young  woman,  spite  of  her  leather  leggins,  queer 
moccasons,  and  rough  reindeer  clothes.  Her  fingers 
were  busily  occupied,  as  she  stood  there  gracefully 
leaning  against  a  rough  stone-wall  in  the  soft  sun- 
shine, twisting  the  sinews  of  the  deer  into  fine 
thread,  while  she  carelessly  glanced  up  now  and  again 
at  the  curious  eyes  of  the  author  who  was  intently 
regarding  her.  One  could  not  but  imagine  what  re- 
markable possibilities  lay  hidden  in  this  individual ; 
what  a  change  education,  culture,  and  refined  associa- 
tions might  create  in  her ;  what  a  social  world  there 
was  extant  of  which  she  had  never  dreamed !  It  was 
oljserved  that  her  companions  of  both  sexes  seemed 
to  defer  to  her,  and  we  fancied  that  she  must  be  a  sort 
of  queen  bee  in  the  Lapps'  hive. 

There  is  one  thing  observable  and  worthy  of  men- 
tion as  regards  the  domestic  habits  of  these  rude 
Laplanders,  and  that  is  their  apparent  consideration 


154  DUE  NORTH. 

for  their  women.  The  hard  work  is  invariably  as- 
sumed by  the  men.  The  women  carry  the  babies,  but 
the  men  carry  all  heavy  burdens,  and  perform  the 
rougher  labor  contingent  upon  their  simple  domestic 
lives.  The  women  milk,  but  the  men  must  drive  the 
herds  from  the  distant  pasturage,  lasso  the  doe,  and 
hold  the  animals  by  the  horns  during  the  process.  It 
is  not  possible  to  tame  or  domesticate  them  so  as  to 
submit  to  this  operation  with  patience  like  a  cow. 
Up  to  a  certain  age  the  Lapp  babies  are  packed  con- 
stantly in  dry  moss,  in  place  of  other  clothing  dur- 
ing their  infancy,  this  being  renewed  as  occasion 
demands, —  thus  very  materially  economizing  laundry 
labor.  The  little  creatures  are  very  quiet  in  their 
portable  cradles,  consisting  of  a  basket-frame  cov- 
ered with  reindeer  hide,  into  which  they  are  closely 
strapped.  The  cases  are  sometimes  swung  hammock 
fashion  between  two  posts,  and  sometimes  hung  upon 
a  peg  outside  the  cabins  in  the  sunshine.  It  is 
marvellous  to  what  a  degree  of  seeming  neglect 
semi-barbarous  babies  will  patiently  submit,  and  how 
quietly  their  babyhood  is  passed.  Probably  a  Japan- 
ese, Chinese,  or  Lapp  baby  can  cry  upon  occasion ; 
but  though  many  hours  have  been  passed  by  the  au- 
thor among  these  people,  he  never  heard  a  breath  of 
complaint  from  the  avcc  things. 

Some  of  the  Lapps  are  quite  expert  with  the  bow 
and  arrow,  which  was  their  ancient  weapon  of  defence 
as  well  as  for  hunting,  it  being  the  primitive  weapon 
of  savages  wherever  encountered.     Few  of  this  people 


COURTESY   OF  NOnWEGlA.X    YOUTH.       155 

possess  firearms.  The  long  sliar})  knife  and  the  steel- 
tipped  arrow  still  form  their  prineipal  arms.  With 
these  under  ordinary  circumstances,  when  he  chances 
upon  the  animal,  a  Lapp  docs  not  hesitate  to  attack 
the  black  bear,  provided  she  has  not  young  ones  with 
her,  in  which  case  she  is  too  savage  a  foe  to  attack 
single-handed.  In  starting  out  upon  a  bear-hunt, 
several  Lapps  combine,  and  spears  are  taken  with  the 
party  as  well  as  firearms  if  they  arc  fortunate  enough 
to  possess  them. 

As  we  were  standing  among  the  Lapps  in  Tromsoe, 
with  some  passengers  from  the  steamer,  a  bevy  of 
children  just  returning  from  school  joined  the  group. 
A  blue-eyed,  flaxen-haired  girl  of  ten  or  eleven  years 
in  advance  of  the  rest  attracted  the  attention  of  a 
gentleman  of  the  party,  who  presented  her  with  a 
bright  silver  coin.  The  child  took  his  hand  in  both 
her  own,  pressed  it  with  exquisite  natural  grace  to 
her  lips,  courtesied  and  passed  on.  This  is  the  uni- 
versal act  of  gratitude  among  the  youth  of  Norway. 
The  child  had  been  taken  by  surprise,  but  she  accepted 
the  little  gift  with  quiet  and  dignified  self-possession. 
There  is  no  importunity  or  beggary  to  be  encountered 
in  Scandinavia. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Experiences  Sailing  Northward.  —  Arctic  Whaling.  —  The  Feathered 
Tribe.  —  Caught  in  a  Trap.  —  Domestic  Animals.  —  The  Marvellous 
Gulf  Stream.  —  Town  of  Hammerfest.  —  Commerce.  —  Arctic  Mos- 
quitoes. —  The  Public  Crier.  —  Norwegian  Marriages.  —  Peculiar 
Bird  Habits.  —  A  Hint  to  Naturalists.  —  Bird  Island.  —  A  Lonely- 
Habitation.  —  High  Latitude.  —  Final  Landing  at  the  North  Cape. 
—  A  Hard  Climb.  —  View  of  the  Wonderful  Midnight  Sun. 


After  leaving  Tromsoe  our  course  was  north  by 
east,  crossing  broad  wild  fjords  and  skirting  the 
main-land,  passing  innumerable  islands  down  whose 
precipitous  sides  narrow  waterfalls  leaped  hundreds 
of  feet  towards  the  sea.  Along  the  shore  at  intervals 
little  clusters  of  fishermen's  huts  were  seen  with  a 
small  sprinkling  of  herbage  and  patches  of  bright 
verdure.  Here  and  there  were  partially  successful 
attempts  at  vegetable  culture,  but  the  brief  season 
which  is  here  possible  for  such  purposes  is  almost 
prohibitory.  Whales,  sometimes  singly,  sometimes  in 
schools,  rose  to  the  surface  of  the  sea,  and  casting  up 
tiny  fountains  of  spray  would  suddenly  disappear  to 
come  up  again,  perhaps  miles  away.  These  leviathans 
of  the  deep  arc  always  a  subject  of  great  interest  to 
persons  at  sea,  and  were  certainly  in  remarkable  num- 
bers here  in  the  Arctic  Ocean.  As  we  have  said, 
small  steamers  are  in  use  along  the  coast  for  catching 


SHOOTING    WHALES    WITH  CANNON.       157 

whales;  and  these  arc  painted  green,  to  enable  them 
to  approach  the  animal  unperceivcd.  They  arc  armed 
with  small  swivel-guns,  from  which  is  fired  a  com- 
pound projectile,  consisting  of  a  barbed  harpoon  to 
which  a  short  chain  is  affixed,  and  to  that  a  strong 
line.  This  special  form  of  harpoon  has  barbs,  which 
expand  as  soon  as  they  have  entered  the  body  of 
the  animal  and  he  pulls  upon  the  line,  stopping  at 
a  certain  angle,  and  rendering  the  withdrawal  of  the 
weapon  impossible.  Besides  this  an  explosive  shell 
is  attached,  which  bursts  within  the  body  of  the  mon- 
ster as  soon  as  the  flukes  expand,  producing  almost 
instant  death.  A  cable  is  then  affixed  to  the  head, 
and  the  whale  is  towed  into  harbor  to  be  cut  up  and 
the  blubber  tried  out  upon  the  shore  in  huge  kettles. 
This  business  is  carried  on  at  Vadso  and  Hammcrfest 
as  well  as  at  Tromsoe.  The  change  was  constant,  and 
the  novelty  never  ceasing.  Large  black  geese,  too 
heavy  it  would  seem  for  lofty  flight,  rose  awkwardly 
from  the  surface  of  the  waves,  and  now  and  again 
skimmed  across  the  fjords,  just  clearing  the  surface 
of  the  dark  blue  waters.  Oyster-catchers,  as  they  are 
familiarly  called,  decked  with  scarlet  legs  and  bills, 
were  abundant.  Now  and  then  that  daring  highway- 
man among  sea-birds,  —  the  skua,  or  robber-gull, — 
was  seen  on  the  watch  for  a  victim.  He  is  quite  dark 
in  plumage,  almost  black,  and  gets  a  predatory  living 
by  attacking  and  causing  other  birds  to  drop  what 
they  have  caught  up  from  the  sea,  seizing  which  as  it 
falls,  he  sails  swiftly  away  to  consume  his  stolen  prize. 


158  DUE  NORTH. 

The  movements  of  this  feathered  creature  through  the 
air  when  darting  towards  its  object  are  almost  too 
rapid  to  follow  with  the  human  eye.  Not  infrequently 
six  or  eight  gulls  of  the  common  species  club  together 
and  make  a  combined  onslaught  upon  this  daring  free- 
booter, and  then  he  must  look  out  for  himself ;  for 
when  the  gull  is  thoroughly  aroused  and  makes  up  his 
mind  to  fight,  he  distinctly  means  business,  and  will 
struggle  to  the  last  gasp,  like  the  Spanish  game-cock. 
There  is  proverbially  strength  in  numbers,  and  the 
skua,  after  such  an  organized  encounter,  is  almost 
always  found  floating  lifeless  upon  the  surface  of  the 
sea. 

We  were  told  of  an  interesting  and  touching  expe- 
rience relating  to  the  golden  eagle  which  occurred 
near  Hammerfest,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  we  are  now 
speaking.  It  seems  that  a  young  Norwegian  had  set 
a  trap  far  up  in  the  hills,  at  a  point  where  he  knew 
that  these  birds  occasionally  made  their  appearance. 
He  was  prevented  from  visiting  the  trap  for  some  two 
weeks  after  he  had  set  and  placed  it ;  but  finally  when 
he  did  so,  he  found  that  one  of  these  noble  creatures 
had  been  caught  by  the  foot,  probably  in  a  few  hours 
after  the  trap  had  been  left  there.  His  eiforts  to  re- 
lease himself  had  been  in  vain,  and  he  lay  there  dead 
from  exhaustion,  not  of  starvation.  This  was  plain 
enough,  since  close  beside  the  dead  eagle  and  quite 
within  his  reach  was  the  half-consumed  body  of  a 
white  grouse,  which  must  have  been  brought  to  him  by 
his  mate,  who  realizing  her  companion's  position  thus 


INFLUENCE   OF   THE   GULF  STREAM.      159 

did  all  that  was  in  her  power  to  sustain  and  help  liini. 
Occasionally  domestic  animals  in  small  numbers  are 
seen  at  the  fishing  hamlets,  though  this  is  very  rarely 
the  case  above  Hammerfest.  Goats,  cows,  and  sheep 
find  but  a  poor  supply  of  vegetable  sustenance,  mostly 
composed  of  reindeer  moss  ;  but,  strange  to  say,  these 
animals  learn  to  eat  dried  fish,  and  to  relish  it  when 
mixed  with  moss  and  straw.  The  cows  are  small  in 
frame  and  quite  short  in  the  legs,  but  they  are  hardy 
and  prolific,  and  mostly  white.  All  domestic  animals 
seem  to  be  dwarfed  here  by  climatic  influences. 

Long  before  we  reached  Hammerfest  the  passen- 
gers' watches  seemed  to  be  bewitched,  for  it  must  be 
remembered  that  here  it  is  broad  daylight  through 
all  the  twenty-four  hours  which  constitute  day  and 
night  elsewhere.  No  wonder  that  sleep  became  little 
more  than  a  subterfuge,  since  everybody's  eyes  were 
jireternaturally  wide  open. 

The  Gulf  Stream  emerging  from  the  tropics  thou- 
sands of  miles  away  constantly  laves  these  shores, 
and  consequently  ice  is  here  unknown.  At  first  blush 
it  seems  a  little  queer  that  icebergs  here  in  latitude 
70°  north  are  never  seen,  though  we  all  know  them 
to  be  plenty  enough  in  the  season  on  the  coast  of 
America  at  41°.  The  entire  coast  of  Norway  is 
warmer  by  at  least  twenty  degrees  than  most  other 
localities  in  the  same  latitude,  owing  to  the  presence 
and  influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  —  that  heated,  mys- 
terious river  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean.  It  also  brings 
to  these  boreal  regions  quantities  of  floating  material. 


160  DUE  NORTH. 

such  as  the  trunks  of  palm-trees  and  other  substances 
suitable  for  fuel,  to  which  useful  purpose  they  are  put 
at  the  Lofoden  fishing  hamlets  and  also  on  the  shores 
of  the  main-land.  By  the  same  active  agency  West 
Indian  seeds  and  woods  are  found  floating  on  the 
west  coast  of  Scotland  and  Ireland. 

Hammerfest,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Fin- 
mark,  is  situated  in  latitude  70°  40'  north,  upon  the 
island  of  Kvaloe,  or  "  Whale  Island."  It  is  over- 
shadowed by  Tyvfjeld,  —  that  is,  "  Thief  Mountain," 
thus  fancifully  named  because  it  robs  the  place  of  the 
little  sunshine  it  might  enjoy  were  this  huge  elevation 
not  at  all  times  intervening.  It  is  the  most  northerly 
town  in  all  Europe,  and  is  located  about  sixty-five 
miles  southwest  of  the  North  Cape.  It  is  a  compactly- 
built  town  of  about  three  thousand  inhabitants,  who 
appear  to  be  exceptionally  industrious  and  intelligent. 
Even  here,  in  this  far-off  region  of  frost,  there  are 
good  schools  and  able  teachers.  There  is  also  a 
weekly  newspaper  issued,  and  some  authorities  claim 
a  population  of  nearly  six  thousand,  which  seemed  to 
be  an  excessive  estimate. 

The  harbor  presents  a  busy  scene,  with  its  queer 
Norwegian  boats  formed  after  the  excellent  but  an- 
tique shape  of  the  galleys  of  old.  On  a  little  promon- 
tory near  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  is  erected  a  stone 
pillar,  indicating  the  spot  where  the  measurement  of 
the  degrees  of  latitude  between  the  mouth  of  tlie 
Danube  and  Hammerfest  was  perfected.  It  is  called 
the  Meridianstotte.     The   trading-vessels   are   many, 


THE    TOWN   OF  HAMMERFEST.  IGl 

and  they  Hy  llio  ilags  of  several  couiinercial  nations ; 
but  most  numerous  of  all  is  the  Hag  of  Russia,  whose 
trading-ships  swarm  on  the  coast  during  the  summer 
season.  Many  of  these  vessels  were  from  far-off 
Archangel  and  the  ports  of  the  White  Sea,  from 
whence  they  bring  cargoes  of  grain  to  exchange  for 
dried  fish.  Truly  has  it  been  said  that  commerce  de- 
fies every  wind,  outrides  every  tempest,  and  invades 
every  zone.  Hammerfest,  consisting  mostly  of  one 
long,  broad  street,  is  neat  and  clean ;  but  the  odor  of 
fish-oil  is  very  sickening  to  one  not  accustomed  to  it. 
We  were  twice  compelled  to  beat  a  retreat  from  cer- 
tain localities,  being  unable  to  endure  the  stench, 
^lany  of  the  people  were  seen  to  be  shod  in  heavy 
leather  boots  or  shoes,  similar  in  form  to  the  fishing- 
boats,  being  curiously  pointed  and  turned  up  at  the 
toes.  Certain  tokens  in  and  about  the  town  forcibly 
reminded  one  of  New  Bedford  in  Massachusetts.  On 
the  north  promontory  of  the  island  is  situated  a  pic- 
turesque lighthouse,  from  which  a  fine  view  may  be 
enjoyed  of  the  rocky  shore,  the  myriads  of  islands, 
and  the  mountainous  main-land.  The  mosquitoes, 
that  inexplicable  pest  even  in  this  high  latitude, 
scarcely  wait  for  the  snow  to  disappear  before  they 
begin  their  vicious  onslaught  upon  humanity.  The 
farther  one  goes  inland  the  greater  this  annoyance 
becomes,  and  some  protection  to  face,  neck,  and 
hands  is  absolutely  necessary.  The  public  crier  pur- 
sues his  ancient  vocation  at  Hammerfest,  not  how- 
ever with  a  noisy  bell,  but  with  a  more  melodious 
11 


162  DUE  NORTH. 

trumpet.  Aftei"  blowing  a  few  clear,  slirill  notes 
thereon  calculated  to  awaken  attention,  he  proclaims 
that  there  will  be  a  missionary  meeting  held  at  a  cer- 
tain hour  and  place,  or  that  a  steamer  will  sail  on  the 
following  day  at  a  given  time,  the  favorite  hour  being 
at  twelve  midnight.  The  crier  here  understands  his 
vocation,  and  by  introducing  a  certain  melodious 
expression  to  his  words,  chanting  them  in  fact,  he 
commands  the  pleased  attention  of  the  multitude. 

A  wedding-feast  in  Norway  is  always  looked  upon 
as  a  grand  domestic  event,  and  is  ever  made  the  most 
of  by  all  parties  concerned ;  but  at  Hammerfest  and 
the  north  part  of  the  country  generally,  it  becomes  a 
most  important  and  demonstrative  affair.  No  expense 
is  spared  by  the  bride's  parents  to  render  the  event 
memorable  in  all  respects.  The  revels  are  sometimes 
kept  up  for  a  period  of  three  weeks,  until  at  last  every 
one  becomes  quite  exhausted  with  the  excitement  and 
with  dancing,  when  the  celebration  by  common  con- 
sent is  brought  to  a  close.  During  the  height  of  the 
revels,  street  parades  constitute  a  part  of  the  singular 
performances,  when  bride,  bridegroom,  family  and 
friends,  preceded  by  a  band  of  musicians,  march  gayly 
from  point  to  point ;  or  a  line  of  boats  is  formed,  with 
the  principals  in  the  first,  the  musicians  in  the  second, 
and  so  on,  all  decked  with  natural  and  artificial 
flowers  and  bright-colored  streamers.  As  we  started 
out  of  Hammerfest  harbor  we  chanced  upon  one  of 
these  aquatic  bridal  parties,  accompanied  by  instru- 
mental music  and  a  chorus  of  many  pleasant  voices. 


APPROACHING    THE  NORTH  CAPE.         163 

the  diaplKiuous  dresses  of  bride  and  bridesmaids  look- 
ing like  mist-wreaths  settled  about  the  boats.  It  was 
easy  to  distinguish  the  bride  from  her  attendants,  by 
the  tall,  sparkling  gilt  crown  which  she  wore. 

In  sailing  along  the  coast  after  leaving  the  point  just 
described,  it  is  observed  that  vegetation  grows  more 
and  more  scarce.  The  land  is  seen  to  be  useless 
for  agricultural  purposes ;  habitations  first  become 
rare,  then  almost  entirely  cease,  bleakness  reigning 
supreme,  while  one  seems  to  be  creeping  higher  and 
higher  on  the  earth.  In  ascending  lofty  mountains, 
say  in  the  Himalayan  range,  we  realize  that  there 
are  heights  still  above  us  ;  but  in  approaching  the 
North  Cape  a  feeling  comes  over  us  that  we  are  grad- 
ually getting  to  the  very  apex  of  the  globe.  Every- 
thing seems  to  be  beneath  our  feet ;  the  broad,  deep, 
unbounded  ocean  alone  makes  the  horizon.  Day 
and  night  cease  to  be  relativa  terms,  while  the  strange 
effect  and  the  magic  brightness  of  a  Polar  night  ut- 
terly beggar  description.  As  we  rounded  one  of  the 
many  abrupt  rocky  islets  in  our  course,  which  came 
up  dark,  steep,  and  inaccessible  from  an  unknown 
depth,  there  flew  up  from  the  smooth  Avaters  into 
which  the  steamer  ploughed  her  way  a  couple  of 
small  ducks,  each  with  a  young  bird  snugly  ensconced 
upon  its  back,  between  the  broad-spread,  narrow 
wings.  This  was  to  the  writer  a  novelty,  though  an 
officer  of  tlie  ship  said  it  was  not  unusual  to  see  cer- 
tain species  of  Arctic  ducks  thus  transporting  their 
ducklinfrs.     One  reads  of  woodcock  at  times  seizing 


I 


164  DUE  NORTH. 

their  young  in  their  talons,  and  bearing  them  away 
from  impending  danger ;  hut  a  web-footed  bird  could 
not  effectually  adopt  this  mode  in  any  exigency.  It 
seems  however  that  Nature  has  taught  the  ducks  an- 
other fashion  of  transporting  their  helpless  progeny. 
The  birds  we  had  disturbed  did  not  fly  aloft  with  their 
tiny  burdens,  but  skimmed  over  the  surface  of  the 
fjord  into  some  one  of  the  sheltering  nooks  along  the 
irregular  shore.  We  were  further  told  a  curious  fact, 
if  fact  it  be,  that  the  young  ducks  of  the  female  spe- 
cies, almost  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  fly,  begin  to 
practise  the  habit  of  carrying  something  upon  their 
backs.  That  is  to  say,  they  arc  not  infrequently  found 
skimming  along  the  surface  of  the  water  with  a  small 
wad  of  sea-weed,  such  as  is  used  by  aquatic  birds  in 
nest-building,  carefully  supported  between  their  wings. 
Just  so  little  girls  are  prone  to  pet  a  doll,  the  mater- 
nal instinct  exhibiting  itself  in  early  childhood.  The 
male  and  female  birds  are  easily  distinguished  from 
each  other  by  the  difference  in  their  plumage.  The 
former  do  not  show  this  inclination  for  carrying  baby 
burdens,  neither  do  young  boys  display  a  predilection 
for  dolls  !  We  commend  these  facts  to  the  notice  of 
naturalists. 

About  forty  miles  northward  from  Hammerfest  is 
situated  what  is  called  Bird  Island,  a  hoary  mass  of 
rock,  famous  as  a  breeding  place  of  various  sea-birds, 
and  where  the  nests  of  many  thousands  are  to  be 
seen.  This  huge  cliff  rises  abruptly  to  the  height  of 
over  a  thousand  feet  from  the   surrounding  ocean. 


BIRD   ISLAXI)   AT   THE   XOllTII   CAPE.       1G5 

Its  seaward  face  being  nearly  perpendicular  is  yet  so 
creviced  as  to  afford  lodgement  for  the  birds,  and  it  is 
literally  covered  by  their  nests  from  base  to  top.  The 
Norwegians  call  the  island  Sva^rholtklubben.  It  is 
customary  for  excursion  steamers  to  "  make  "  this 
island  in  their  course  to  the  North  Cape,  and  to  stand 
off  and  on  for  an  hour  to  give  passengers  an  opportu- 
nity to  observe  the  birds  and  their  interesting  habits. 
The  ship's  cannon  is  fired  also,  when  the  echoes  of  its 
single  report  become  myriad,  roverberating  through 
the  caves  and  broad  chasms  of  the  rock,  starting 
forth  the  feathered  tribes,  un^til  the  air  is  as  full  of 
them  as  of  flakes  in  an  Arctic  snow-storm.  The 
echoes  mingle  with  the  harsh,  wailing  screams,  and 
roar  of  wings  become  almost  deafening  as  the  birds 
wheel  in  clouds  above  the  ship,  or  sail  swiftly  away 
and  return  again  like  a  flash  to  join  their  young, 
whose  tiny  white  heads  may  be  seen  peeping  anxiously 
above  the  sides  of  the  nests.  One  or  two  dwelling- 
houses,  surrounded  by  a  few  small  sheds,  are  to  be 
seen  in  a  little  valley  near  the  water's  edge  on  the 
lee  side  of  Bird  Island,  where  a  dozen  persons  more 
or  less  make  their  dreary  home.  These  residents 
send  oft"  fresh  milk  by  a  boat  to  the  passing  steamer, 
though  how  the  cows  can  find  sustenance  here  is  an 
unsolved  riddle.  They  also  make  a  business  of  rob- 
bing the  birds'-nests  of  the  eggs,  by  means  of  lad- 
ders, but  do  not  injure  the  birds  themselves.  Of 
course  there  are  but  comparatively  few  of  the  nests 
which  thev  can  manncre  to  reacli  at  all. 


166  DUE  NORTH. 

The  North  Cape  is  in  reality  an  island  projecting 
itself  far  into  the  Polar  Sea,  and  which  is  separated 
from  the  main-land  by  a  narrow  strait.  The  highest 
point  which  has  ever  been  reached  by  the  daring 
Arctic  explorer  was  eighty-three  degrees  twenty-four 
minutes,  north  latitude ;  this  Cape  is  in  latitude  sev- 
enty-one degrees  ten  minutes.  The  island  is  named 
Mageroe,  which  signifies  a  barren  place;  and  it  is  cer- 
tainly well  named,  for  a  wilder,  bleaker,  or  more  des- 
olate spot  cannot  be  found  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Only  a  few  hares,  ermine,  and  sea-birds  manage  to 
subsist  upon  its  sterile  soil.  The  western  and  north- 
ern sides  are  absolutely  inaccessible  from  their  rough 
and  precipitous  character.  The  Arctic  Sea  thundered 
hoarsely  against  its  base  as  we  approached  the  wind- 
swept, weather-worn  cliff  of  the  North  Cape  in  a  small 
landing-boat.  It  was  near  the  midnight  hour,  yet  the 
warm  light  of  the  sun's  clear,  direct  rays  enveloped 
us.  A  few  sea-birds  uttered  dismal  and  discordant 
cries  as  they  flew  lazily  in  circles  overhead.  The 
landing  was  soon  accomplished  amid  the  half  im- 
passable rocks,  and  then  began  the  struggle  to  reach 
the  top  of  the  Cape,  which  rises  in  its  only  accessible 
part  at  an  angle  of  nearly  forty-five  degrees.  For 
half  an  hour  we  plodded  wearily  through  the  debris 
of  rubble-stones,  wet  soil,  and  rolling  rocks,  until 
finally  the  top  was  reached,  after  which  a  walk  of 
about  a  third  of  a  mile  upon  gently  rising  ground 
brings  one  to  the  point  of  observation,  —  that  is,  to  the 
x^erge  of  the  cliff.     We  were  now  fully  one  thousand 


STAXDIiXa    UPON   THE   NORTH   CAPE.       1G7 

feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  standing  literally  upon 
the  threshold  of  the  unknown. 

No  difference  was  observed  between  the  broad  light 
of  this  Polar  night  and  the  noon  of  a  sunny  summer's 
day  in  the  low  latitudes.  The  sky  was  all  aglow  and 
the  rays  of  the  sun  warm  and  penetrating,  though  a 
certain  chill  in  the  atmosphere  at  this  exposed  eleva- 
tion rendered  thick  clothing  quite  indispensable.  This 
was  the  objective  point  to  reach  which  we  had  voyaged 
thousands  of  miles  from  another  hemisphere.  We 
looked  about  us  in  silent  wonder  and  awe.  To  the 
northward  was  that  unknown  region  to  solve  the  mys- 
teries of  which  so  many  gallant  lives  had  been  sacri- 
ficed. Far  to  the  eastward  was  Asia ;  in  the  distant 
•west  lay  America,  and  southward  were  Europe  and 
xVfrica.  Such  an  experience  may  occur  once  in  a  life- 
time, but  rarely  can  it  be  repeated.  The  surface  of 
the  cliff,  which  is  quite  level  where  we  stood  (near  the 
base  of  the  small  granite  column  erected  to  commem- 
orate the  visit  of  Oscar  11.  in  1873),  was  covered  by 
soft  reindeer  moss,  which  yielded  to  the  tread  like  a 
rich  carpet  of  velvet.  There  was  no  other  vegetation 
near,  not  even  a  spear  of  grass;  though  as  we  climbed 
the  steep  path  hither  occasional  bits  of  pea-green 
moss  were  seen,  with  a  minute  pink  blossom  peeping 
out  here  and  there  from  the  ruljble-stoncs.  Pres- 
ently the  boom  of  a  distant  gun  floated  faintly  up- 
wards. It  was  the  cautionary  signal  from  the  ship, 
which  was  now  seen  floating  far  below  us,  a  mere 
speck  upon  that  Polar  sea. 


168  DUE  NORTR. 

The  hands  of  the  watch  indicated  that  it  was  near 
the  hour  of  twelve,  midnight.  The  great  luminary 
had  smik  slowly  amid  a  glory  of  light  to  within  three 
degrees  of  the  horizon,  where  it  seemed  to  hover  for 
a  single  moment  like  some  monster  bird  about  to 
alight  upon  a  mountain  peak,  and  then  changing  its 
mind,  slowly  began  its  upward  movement.  This  was 
exactly  at  midnight,  always  a  solemn  hour ;  but  amid 
the  glare  of  sunlight  and  the  glowing  immensity  of 
sea  and  sky,  how  strange  and  weird  it  seemed ! 

Notwithstanding  they  were  so  closely  mingled,  the 
difference  between  the  gorgeous  coloring  of  the  set- 
ting and  the  fresh  hues  of  the  rising  sun  was  clearly 
though  delicately  defined.  Indeed,  the  sun  had  not 
really  set  at  all.  It  had  been  constantly  visible, 
though  it  seemed  to  sliine  for  a  few  moments  with 
slightly  diminished  power.  Still,  the  human  eye  could 
not  rest  upon  it  for  one  instant.  It  was  the  mingling 
of  the  golden  haze  of  evening  with  the  radiant,  roseate 
flush  of  the  blushing  morn.  At  the  point  where  sky 
and  ocean  met  there  was  left  a  boreal  azure  resemb- 
ling the  steel-white  of  tlie  diamond  ;  this  was  suc- 
ceeded by  pearly  gray,  until  the  horizon  became  wavy 
with  lines  of  blue,  like  the  delicate  figures  wrought 
upon  a  Toledo  blade.  In  the  Yellow  Sea  the  author 
has  seen  a  more  vivid  sunset,  combining  the  volcanic 
effects  of  lurid  light ;  but  it  lacked  the  sublime,  mys- 
terious, mingled  glory  of  evening  and  morning  twi- 
liglit  which  characterized  this  wondrous  view  of  the 
Arctic  midnii;lit  sun. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Journey  Across  Country.  —  Capital  of  Sweden.  —  Old  and  New.  — 
Swedish  History.  —  Local  Attractions.  —  King  Oscar  II.  —  The 
Koyal  Palace.  —  The  Westminster  Abbey  of  Stockholm.  —  A  Splen- 
did Deer  Park.  —  Public  Amusements.  —  The  Sabbatli.  —  An  Offi- 
cial Dude. —An  Awkward  Statue.  —  Swedish  Nightingales.— 
Linnaeus  an-d  Swedenborg.  —  Dalecarlia  Girls.  — A  Eemarkable 
Group  in  Bronze.  —  Rosedale  Royal  Cottage.  —  Ancient  Oaks.  — 
Upsala  and  its  Surroundings.  —  Ancient  Mounds  at  Old  Ui)sala.  — 
Swedenborg's  Study. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  we  spoke  in  our 
early  pages  of  the  inland  trip  across  Norway  and  Swe- 
den,—  that  is,  from  Gottenburg  to  Stockholm.  After 
visiting  the  North  Cape,  one  returns  by  nearly  the 
same  route  along  the  coast  to  Trondhjem,  thence  to 
Christiania.  Our  next  objective  point  being  the  capi- 
tal of  Sweden,  we  took  passage  by  rail,  crossing  the 
country  by  way  of  Charlottcnborg,  which  is  the  fron- 
tier town  of  Sweden.  Here  there  is  a  custom-house 
examination  of  baggage;  for  although  Norway  and 
Sweden  are  under  one  crown,  yet  they  have  a  separate 
tariff,  so  that  custom-house  rules  are  regularly  en- 
forced between  them.  As  regards  others  than  com- 
mercial travellers  however  this  is  a  mere  form,  and 
is  not  made  a  source  of  needless  annoyance,  as  is  too 
often  the  case  in  other  countries.  In  crossing  the 
peninsula  by  rail  one  does  not  enjoy  the  picturesque 


170  DUE  NORTH. 

scenery  which  characterizes  the  Gotha  Canal  route. 
The  railroad  journey  takes  one  through  a  region  of 
lake  and  forest  by  no  means  devoid  of  interest,  and 
which  is  rich  in  mines  of  iron  and  other  ores.  Some 
important  viaducts,  iron  bridges,  and  tunnels  are 
passed,  and  as  we  approach  Lake  Maelaren  on  the  east 
coast  a  more  highly  cultivated  country  is  traversed, 
some  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Sweden  being  also  passed, 
each  of  which  is  strongly  individualized.  There  is  a 
considerable  difference  observable  between  the  archi- 
tecture of  the  Norwegians  and  that  of  the  Swedes,  the 
former  affecting  the  style  of  the  Swiss  chalet,  while 
the  latter  build  much  more  substantially.  Their  dwel- 
lings as  a  rule  are  better  finished,  and  always  neatly 
painted,  in  town  or  country. 

Stockholm  is  a  noble  capital,  in  many  respects  ex- 
ceptionally so.  It  is  situated  on  the  Baltic  at  the  out- 
let of  Lake  Maelaren,  and  is  built  on  several  islands, 
all  of  which  are  connected  by  substantial  bridges,  — 
the  finest  of  which  is  the  Norrbro,  which  has  several 
grand  arches  of  stone,  the  whole  measuring  four  hun- 
dred feet  in  length  by  at  least  sixty  in  width,  though 
we  have  no  statistics  at  hand  by  which  to  verify  these 
figures.  The  city  has  a  population  of  over  a  hundred 
and  eighty  thousand,  covering  an  area  of  five  square 
miles,  and  taken  as  a  whole  it  certainly  forms  one  of 
the  most  cleanly  and  interesting  capitals  in  Europe. 
It  is  a  city  of  canals,  public  gardens,  broad  squares, 
and  gay  cafds.  It  has  two  excellent  harbors,  one 
on  the  Baltic  and  one  on  Lake   Maelaren.      Wars, 


THE    CITY    OF   STOCKHOLM.  171 

conflagrations,  and  the  steady  progress  of  civilization 
have  entirely  changed  the  city  from  what  it  was  in 
the  days  of  Gustavus  Vasa, —  that  is,  about  the  year 
1496.  It  was  he  who  founded  the  dynasty  which  has 
survived  for  three  hundred  years.  The  streets  in  the 
older  sections  of  the  town  are  often  crooked  and  nar- 
row, like  those  of  Marseilles,  or  of  Toledo  in  Hpaln, 
where  in  looking  heavenward  one  does  not  behold 
enough  of  the  blue  sky  between  the  roofs  for  the 
measure  of  a  waistcoat  pattern,  but  in  the  more  mod- 
ern-built parts  there  are  fine  straight  avenues  and 
spacious  squares,  with  large  and  imposing  public  and 
private  edifices.  Here  as  in  most  of  the  other  Scan- 
dinavian cities,  in  consequence  of  various  sweeping 
fires,  the  old  timber-built  houses  have  gradually  dis- 
appeared, being  replaced  by  those  of  brick  or  stone, 
and  there  is  now  enforced  a  municipal  law  which  pro- 
hibits the  erection  of  wooden  structures  within  the 
precincts  of  the  city  proper. 

Stockholm  is  the  centre  of  the  social  and  literary 
activity  of  Scandinavia,  hardly  second  in  these  re- 
spects to  Copenhagen.  It  has  its  full  share  of  scien- 
tific, artistic,  and  benevolent  institutions,  such  as  befit 
a  great  European  capital.  The  stranger  should  as 
soon  as  convenient  after  arriving  ascend  an  elevation 
of  the  town  called  the  Mosebacke,  whereon  has  been 
erected  a  lofty  iron  framework  and  look-out,  which  is 
surmounted  by  means  of  a  steam  elevator.  From  this 
structure  an  admirable  view  of"  the  city  is  obtained 
and  its  topography  fixed  clearly  upon  the  mind.     At 


172  DUE   NORTH. 

a  single  glance  as  it  were,  one  overlooks  the  charming 
marine  view  of  the  Baltic  with  its  busy  trafi&c,  while 
in  the  opposite  direction  the  hundreds  of  islands  that 
dot  Lake  Maelaren  form  a  wide-spread  picture  of 
varied  beauty.  The  bird's-eye  view  obtained  of  the 
environs  of  the  capital  is  unique,  since  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  the  city  lies  the  primeval  forest,  undis- 
turbed and  unimproved.  This  seems  the  more  singu- 
lar when  we  realize  how  ancient  a  place  Stockholm  is, 
having  been  fortified  and  made  his  capital  by  Birger 
Jarl,  between  seven  and  eight  hundred  years  ago. 
Though  Sweden  unlike  Norway  has  no  heroic  age,  so 
to  speak,  connecting  her  earliest  exploits  with  the 
fate  of  other  countries,  still  no  secondary  European 
power  has  enacted  so  brilliant  a  part  in  modern  his- 
tory as  have  those  famous  Swedish  monarchs  Gusta- 
vus  Vasa,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  Charles  XII.  The 
latter  fought  all  Europe,  —  Danes,  Russians,  Poles, 
Germans,  —  and  gave  away  a  kingdom  before  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age.  It  was  he  who  at  his  coronation 
snatched  the  crown  from  the  hand  of  the  archbishop 
and  set  it  proudly  on  his  head  with  his  own  hands. 

Some  of  the  local  attractions  of  the  city  are  the 
National  Museum,  built  of  granite  and  marble  in  the 
Venetian  Renaissance  style,  the  Academy  of  Sciences, 
the  Art  Museum,  the  Town  Hall,  and  the  Royal  Pal- 
ace ;  but  we  will  not  weary  the  reader  with  detailed 
accounts  of  them.  The  Royal  Palace,  like  that  at 
Christiania,  is  an  exceedingly  ])laiu  building,  with  a 
granite  basement   and    stuccoed    bricks  above,  form- 


KING   OSCAR   II.  1T3 

iiig  an  immense  quadrangular  edifice.  Though  it  is 
very  simple  externally,  it  is  yet  finely  proportioned, 
and  stands  upon  the  highest  point  of  the  central 
island.  Its  present  master,  King  Oscar  II.,  is  an 
accomplished  artist,  poet,  musician,  and  an  admir- 
able linguist,  nobly  fulfilling  the  requirements  of  his 
responsible  position.  He  has  been  justly  called  the 
ideal  sovereign  of  the  age,  and  the  more  the  world 
knows  of  him  the  more  fully  this  estimate  will  be 
confirmed.  His  court,  while  it  is  one  of  the  most  un- 
pretentious, is  yet  one  of  the  most  refined  in  Europe. 
It  is  not  surprising  therefore  that  tlie  King  enjoys  a 
popularity  among  his  subjects  characterized  by  uni- 
versal confidence,  respect,  and  love.  The  State  de- 
partments of  the  palace  are  very  elegant,  and  are 
freely  shown  to  strangers  at  all  suitable  times.  In 
the  grand  State  Hall  is  the  throne  of  silver  originally 
occupied  by  Queen  Christina,  while  the  Hall  of 
Mirrors  appears  as  though  it  might  have  come  out  of 
Aladdin's  Palace.  Amid  all  the  varied  attractions 
of  art  and  historic  associations,  the  splendid  BaiKiuet- 
ing  Hall,  the  galleries  of  painting  and  statuary,  the 
Concert  Room,  audience  chambers,  saloons  hung  with 
Gobelin  tapestry,  and  gilded  boudoirs,  one  simple 
chamber  impressed  us  most.  It  was  the  bed-room  of 
Charles  XIV.  (Marshal  Bernadotte),  which  has  re- 
mained unchanged  and  unused  since  the  time  of  his 
death,  his  old  campaign  cloak  of  Swedish  blue  still 
lying  upon  the  bed.  The  clock  upon  the  mantle-piece 
significantly  points  to  the  hour  and  the  minute  of  the 


174  DUE  NORTH. 

monarch's  death.  The  life  and  remarkable  career  of 
the  dead  King  flashed  across  the  memory  as  we  stood 
for  a  moment  beside  these  suggestive  souvenirs.  It 
was  recalled  how  he  began  life  as  a  common  soldier 
in  the  French  army,  rising  with  rapidity  by  reason 
of  his  military  genius  to  be  a  Marshal  of  France,  and 
finally  to  sit  upon  the  Swedish  throne.  Bernadotte, 
Prince  of  Ponte  Corvo,  is  the  only  one  of  Napo- 
leon's generals  whose  descendants  still  occupy  a 
throne. 

The  Royal  Library  is  said  to  be  a  very  choice  col- 
lection of  books  in  all  modern  languages,  occupying 
a  hall  which  extends  over  nearly  the  entire  length 
of  one  wing  of  the  palace,  and  contains  a  hundred 
thousand  bound  volumes.  One  of  the  most  conspicu- 
ous objects  seen  from  its  windows  is  the  Riddarsholm 
Church,  a  lofty,  Gothic  structure  of  red  brick,  and  the 
Westminster  Abbey  of  the  metropolis.  Its  tall  open- 
work spire  of  iron  tracery  reaches  towards  the  sky  as 
though  it  would  pierce  the  blue  vault,  forming  a  con- 
spicuous object  for  the  eye  of  the  traveller  who  ap- 
proaches the  city  by  water.  This  old  church,  with  its 
banner-hung  arches,  possesses  considerable  historic 
interest.  There  is  significance  in  the  fact  that  its 
chime  of  bells  is  only  heard  on  the  occasion  of  royal 
funerals.  The  broad  aisle  is  filled  with  grand  colossal 
statuary  by  Sergei,  Bystrom,  and  other  native  sculp- 
tors. In  one  of  the  chapels  is  the  tomb  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  and  in  another  repose  the  ashes  of  the 
youthful  hero  Charles  XII.     A  long  line  of  Swedish 


THE    CHURCHES   OF  STOCKHOLM.  175 

moiiarc'hs  also  rest  beneath  the  Riddarshohn  Church. 
The  central  floor  is  covered  with  gravestones  bearing 
the  titles  of  historic  characters  and  of  heroic  names, 
in  the  study  of  which  and  recalling  of  their  mingled 
histories  hours  glide  swiftly  away.  There  is  a  chapel 
of  relics  attached  to  the  church  which  contains  many 
valuable  historic  souvenirs.  In  the  large  square  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Birger  Jarl's  Torg,  near  by  the  church 
just  described,  stands  a  bronze  statue  of  this  former 
ruler  and  founder  of  the  city,  who  was  a  great  reform- 
er in  his  day,  living  until  1266.  It  was  modelled  by 
Fogelberg,  and  represents  the  famous  original  in  the 
armor  which  was  common  in  the  twelfth  century,  the 
general  effect  being  artistic  and  impressive  ;  but  it  is 
by  no  means  faultless.  The  pedestal  is  formed  by  a 
heavy  dwarfed  pillar,  which  places  the  statue  too  far 
above  the  line  of  sight  for  good  effect.  The  church  of 
Adolphus  Frederick  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and 
is  rendered  quite  conspicuous  by  its  large  tower,  which 
is  crowned  by  a  copper  dome.  This  church  is  just  a 
century  old.  A  monument  was  observed  within  its 
walls  erected  to  the  memory  of  Descartes,  the  famous 
French  philosopher,  who  died  at  Stockhol;ii  in  1650, 
but  whose  remains  were  finally  removed  to  Paris. 
The  most  conspicuous  dome  and  tower  in  the  city  is 
that  of  the  Ladugardslands  Church,  surmounting  an 
octagon  structure  two  centuries  old.  St.  Catherine's 
Church  is  the  highest  in  the  metropolis,  and  is  built 
in  the  Grecian  cross  shape,  with  a  lofty  dome  and  five 
spires.     Its  erection  dates  back  two  hundred  years. 


176  DUE  NORTH. 

The  population  of  Stockholm  seems  to  consist  of  a 
cheerful,  prosperous,  and  contented  people,  though  few 
remarkable  signs  of  luxury  or  opulence  meet  the  eye 
of  a  stranger.  The  shops  on  the  principal  streets 
are  elegantly  arrayed,  and  in  the  spacious  windows 
choice  merchandise,  books,  pictures,  and  jewelry  are 
tastefully  displayed.  There  are  not  better  supplied  or 
more  attractive  shops  on  the  Rue  de  la  Paix  or  the 
Italian  Boulevard  of  Paris.  A  ceaseless  activity  reigns 
along  the  thoroughfares,  among  the  little  steam  gon- 
dolas upon  the  many  water-ways,  and  the  myriad  of 
passenger  steamers  which  ply  upon  the  lake.  Many 
pleasure  seekers  throng  the  small  parks  in  the  city, 
while  others  seek  the  more  extensive  and  distant 
Djurgard,  or  "  Deer  Park,"  in  the  environs.  These 
are  the  finest  grounds  of  the  sort  and  by  far  the  most 
extensive  devoted  to  such  a  purpose  which  the  author 
has  chanced  to  see.  This  remarkable  pleasure  resort, 
originally  laid  out  as  a  deer  park  by  Gustavus  III.,  oc- 
cupies an  entire  island  by  itself,  and  is  some  miles  in 
circumference,  beautified  with  inviting  drives,  grassy 
glades,  rocky  knolls,  Swiss  cottages,  Italian  veran- 
das, and  containing  innumerable  thrifty  trees,  among 
which  are  some  of  the  noblest  oaks  to  be  found  out- 
side of  England.  Refreshment  booths,  cafds,  music 
halls,  marionette  theatres,  gymnastic  apparatus,  and 
various  other  means  of  public  amusement  are  liberally 
distributed  over  the  wide-spread  area.  It  is  the  great 
summer  resort  of  tlie  populace  for  picnicing,  pleasure 
outings,  and  Sunday  holidays.     The  environs  far  and 


PUBLIC   AMUSEMENTS   IN   STOCKHOLM.     177 

near,  including  tlic  Deer  Park,  arc  easily  and  cheaply 
reached  by  small  steam  launches,  or  by  tramway,  at 
any  liour  of  the  day  or  evening. 

No  population  known  to  the  author  is  so  thoroughly 
devoted  to  public  amusement  as  are  the  citizens  of  the 
Swedish  capital  during  the  warm  season ;  the  brief 
summer  is  indeed  made  the  most  of  by  all  classes  in 
the  enjoyment  of  out-door  life.  Beginning  at  an 
early  hour  of  the  day  and  continuing  until  past  mid- 
night, gayety  reigns  su})reme  fi'om  the  middle  of  June 
until  the  end  of  August.  To  a  stranger  it  seems  to  be 
one  ceaseless  holiday,  leading  one  to  ask  what  period 
the  people  devote  to  their  business  occupations.  It  is 
surprising  to  observe  how  many  theatres,  circuses, 
concerts,  fairs,  casinos,  field  sports  and  garden  enter- 
tainments are  liberally  supported  by  a  population  of 
less  than  two  hundred  thousand.  At  night  the  tide 
of  life  flows  fast  and  furious  until  the  small  hours, 
the  town  and  its  environs  being  ablaze  with  gas  and 
electric  lights.  The  little  omnil)us  steamers  which 
flit  about  like  fire-flics  arc,  like  the  tramways,  taxed  to 
their  utmost  capacity,  wliilc  the  air  is  full  of  music 
from  military  bands.  ]t  is  the  summer  gayety  of  the 
Chanii»s  Elys^es  thrice  multiplied  by  a  community 
which  does  not  number  one  tenth  of  the  aggregated 
population  of  the  great  French  capital.  Not  one  but 
every  day  in  the  week  forms  a  link  in  the  continuous 
chain  of  revelling  hours,  until  on  the  Sabbath  the  gay- 
ety culniin;itc's  in  a  grand  fete  day  of  pleasure-outings 
for  men,  women,  and  children.  Scores  of  steamers 
12 


178  DUE  NORTH. 

gayly  dressed  in  flags  and  crowded  with  passengers 
start  in  the  early  morning  of  this  day  for  excursions 
on  Lake  Maelaren,  or  to  visit  some  pleasure  resort  on 
the  Baltic,  while  the  Deer  Park  and  public  gardens 
of  the  city  resound  all  day  and  night  with  mirth  and 
music. 

The  Royal  Opera  House  is  a  plain  substantial  struc- 
ture on  the  Gustaf-Adolf-Torg,  built  by  Gustavus  III. 
in  1775,  and  will  seat  fifteen  hundred  persons.  A  mu- 
sic-loving Swede  told  us  of  the  debut  of  Jenny  Lind 
years  ago  in  tliis  dramatic  temple,  and  also  described 
that  of  Christine  Nilsson,  which  occurred  more  re- 
cently. The  excellent  acoustic  properties  of  the 
Stockholm  Opera  House  are  admitted  by  famous  vocal- 
ists to  be  nearly  unequalled.  It  was  here,  at  a  gay 
masquerade  ball  on  the  morning  of  March  15,  1792, 
that  Gustavus  III.  was  fatally  wounded  by  a  shot  from 
an  assassin,  one  of  the  conspirators  among  the  nobil- 
ity. Our  place  of  sojourn  while  in  Stockholm  was 
at  the  Hotel  Rydberg,  which  overlooks  the  Gustaf- 
Adolf-Torg.  Directly  opposite  our  windows,  across 
the  bridge  where  the  waters  of  the  Baltic  and  Lake 
Maelaren  join,  was  the  Royal  Palace,  situated  upon 
a  commanding  site.  On  the  right  of  the  square  and 
forming  one  whole  side  of  it  was  the  Crown  Prince's 
palace ;  on  the  left  was  the  Opera  House,  with  an 
equal  frontage ;  while  in  the  centre  stood  the  eques- 
trian bronze  statue  of  Gustavus  Adolphus.  On  the 
low  ground  beside  the  bridge  leading  to  the  royal  pal- 
ace close  to  the  water  was  one  of  those  i)icturcsque 


^.Y  ANCIENT  DUDE.  179 

I)lcasurc-gardcns  for  which  the  town  is  famous,  where 
under  the  trees  hung  with  fancy  lamps  an  animated 
crowd  assembled  nightly  to  enjoy  the  music  of  the 
military  band  and  to  partake  of  all  sorts  of  refresh- 
ments, but  mainly  consisting  of  Swedish  punch,  Scan- 
dinavian beer,  or  coffee.  The  distance  of  this  pleasure- 
garden  from  the  hotel  was  just  sufficient  to  harmonize 
the  music  with  one's  mood,  and  to  lull  the  drowsy 
senses  to  sleep  when  the  hour  fop  retiring  arrived. 

Following  the  motley  crowd  one  evening,  indiff- 
erent as  to  where  it  might  lead,  the  author  found 
liimsclf  on  board  one  of  the  little  omnibus  steamers, 
which  in  about  fifteen  minutes  landed  its  passengers 
at  the  Deer  Park,  near  the  entrance  to  which  a  perma- 
nent circus  establishment  seemed  to  be  the  attraction ; 
so  purchasing  a  ticket  in  our  turn,  we  entered  with 
a  crowd  which  soon  filled  the  auditorium.  Over  two 
thousand  spectators  found  accommodation  within  the 
walls.  The  performance  was  excellent  and  of  the 
usual  variety,  including  a  ballet.  Occupying  a  seat  by 
our  side  was  a  man  of  about  seventy  years  of  age, 
whose  white  hair,  mutton-chop  whiskers,  and  snowy 
moustache  were  cut  and  dressed  after  the  daintiest 
fashion.  He  was  a  little  below  the  average  size,  and 
was  in  excellent  preservation  for  one  of  his  years. 
It  was  observed  that  his  hands  and  feet  were  as  small 
as  those  of  a  young  school-girl.  He  was  in  full  even- 
ing dress,  with  a  button-hole  bouquet  in  his  coat 
lapel,  held  in  place  by  a  diamond  clasp.  On  tlirce  of 
the  fingers  of  each  hand  were  diamond  rings  reaching 


180  DUE  NORTH. 

to  the  middle  joints.  Diamonds  mingled  with  rubies 
and  pearls  glistened  upon  his  wrists,  upon  which  he 
wore  ladies'  bracelets.  His  tawdry  watch-chain  was 
heavy  with  brilliants.  In  his  necktie  was  a  large  dia- 
mond, and  a  star-shaped  cluster  of  small  ones  fur- 
nished him  with  a  breastpin.  In  short,  this  antique 
dude  sparkled  all  over  like  a  jeweller's  shop-window. 
Each  of  the  ballet-girls  had  a  sign  of  recognition  for 
the  gay  Lothario,  who  exchanged  signals  with  several 
of  the  women  performers.  We  felt  sure  that  he  must 
be  some  well-known  character  about  town,  and  upon 
returning  to  the  hotel  described  him  and  asked  who 
he  was.  "  Oh  ! "  said  the  proprietor,  "  that  was  the 
Portuguese  Minister  !  " 

Some  of  the  public  streets  of  the  city  are  quite 
steep,  so  as  to  be  impassable  for  vehicles, — like  those 
of  Yaletta  in  the  island  of  Malta,  and  those  in  the 
English  part  of  Hong  Kong.  The  northern  suburb 
is  the  most  fashionable  part  of  Stockholm,  containing 
the  newest  streets  and  the  finest  private  residences. 
Among  the  statues  which  ornament  the  public  squares 
and  gardens,  that  of  Charles  XH.  in  King's  Park  is 
perhaps  the  most  remarkable,  — he  whom  Motley  called 
"  the  crowned  gladiator."  It  stands  upon  a  pedestal 
of  Swedish  granite,  surrounded  by  four  heavy  mortars 
placed  at  the  corners,  —  spoils  which  were  taken  by 
the  youthful  hero  in  battle.  Touching  the  individual 
figure,  which  is  of  bronze  and  colossal,  it  struck  us 
as  full  of  incongruities,  and  not  at  all  creditable  to 
the  well-known  designer  Molin. 


THE   DALECARLIAN   GIIILS.  l8l 

The  Swedish  and  Norwegian  languages  are  very 
similar,  and,  as  we  were  assured  by  persons  of  both 
nationalities,  they  are  becoming  gradually  amalga- 
mated. The  former  is  perhaps  the  softer  tongue  and 
its  people  the  more  musical,  as  those  two  delightful 
vocalists  and  envoys  from  thence,  Jenny  Lind  and 
Christine  Nilsson,  would  lead  us  to  infer.  Both 
countries  are  undoubtedly  poor  in  worldly  riches,  but 
yet  they  expend  larger  sums  of  money  for  educational 
purposes  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  their  popula- 
tion than  any  other  country  except  America.  The 
result  here  is  manifest  in  a  marked  degree  of  general 
intelligence  diffused  among  all  classes.  One  is  natur- 
ally reminded  in  this  Swedish  capital  of  Linnoeus  and 
Swedenborg,  both  of  whom  were  born  here.  The 
latter  graduated  at  the  famous  University  of  Upsala, 
the  former  in  the  greater  school  of  out-door  Nature. 
Swedenborg  was  as  eminent  a  scientist  as  religionist, 
and  to  him  was  first  intrusted  the  engineering  of  the 
Gotha  Canal ;  but  his  visionary  peculiarities  growing 
upon  him  it  was  found  necessary  to  substitute  a  more 
practical  individual,  so  that  the  great  work  was  event- 
ually completed  by  Sweden's  most  famous  engineer 
and  mechanician,  Kristofer  Polhem. 

The  stranger  often  meets  in  the  streets  of  Stock- 
holm a  conspicuous  class  of  peasant  women  dressed 
very  neatly  but  somewhat  gaudily  in  stripes  and  high 
colors,  wearing  a  peculiar  head-gear.  They  are  from 
Dalccarlia,  with  sun-burned  cheeks,  splendid  teeth, 
l»right  serious   eves,   soft  liulit   hair   worn  in  ])raids 


182  DUE  NORTH. 

hanging  down  tlieir  backs,  and  universally  possessing 
sturdy,  well-shaped  forms.  These  women  are  from  a 
favored  province  of  Sweden,  and  for  a  long  time  en- 
joyed a  monopoly  of  the  many  ferry-boats  of  the  city, 
it  having  been  accorded  to  them  by  royal  consent  in 
consideration  of  the  patriotism  exhibited  by  them,  and 
of  aid  which  the  women  of  that  ancient  province  gave 
to  the  cause  of  the  throne  at  a  critical  moment  in  Swe- 
dish history.  Dalecarlian  girls  on  arriving  at  a  suit- 
able age  have  for  many  generations  been  in  the  habit 
of  coming  to  the  capital  and  remaining  long  enough 
to  earn  by  their  industry  sufficient  means  to  return 
home,  become  married,  and  set  up  their  households 
for  life.  The  small  omnibus-steamers  have  superseded 
the  row-boat  ferries,  but  still  the  women  of  this  prov- 
ince come  to  the  city  all  the  same,  pursuing  various 
occupations  of  a  laborious  character,  but  always  re- 
taining their  native  costumes.  Swedish  provinces 
have  each  to  a  certain  extent  a  special  style  of  dress 
to  which  they  tenaciously  adhere,  as  the  several  High- 
land clans  of  Scotland  do  to  their  plaids  and  colors. 
These  girls  are  often  engaged  by  wealthy  families  as 
nurses  for  their  children ;  some  few  are  to  be  seen  at 
service  in  the  caf^s  and  public  gardens,  others  are 
engaged  as  porters,  who  transport  light  packages 
while  pushing  before  them  a  small  two-wheeled  hand- 
cart. Tlicy  certainly  form  a  very  picturesque  feature 
with  their  peculiar  costume  of  striped  aprons,  party- 
colored  waists,  and  tall  caps,  recalling  the  Italian 
models  one  sees  on  the  Spanish  Stairs  of  the  Piazza 


THE   STOCKHOLM  NATIONAL   MUSEUM.     183 

di  Spagna  in  Rome.  As  a  rule,  in  point  of  morals 
tlioy  are  represented  to  be  beyond  reproach ;  but  some 
of  them  inevitably  drift  into  temptation,  and  become 
lost  to  their  country  and  home  ties.  But  even  under 
these  sad  circumstances,  the  Dalecarlian  girls  adhere 
tenaciously  to  their  peasant  costume  to  the  last.  The 
pride  which  prevents  them  from  returning  to  their  vil- 
lage homes  after  the  blandishments  have  faded  which 
led  them  astray,  often  prompts  them  to  seek  a  watery 
grave  in  the  Lake  Maelaren. 

The  National  Museum  is  a  fine  modern  structure 
three  stories  in  height,  the  fagade  ornamented  with 
appropriate  statues  and  medallions,  among  which  was 
one  of  Linna3us.  On  entering  the  edifice  three  colos- 
sal marble  figures  attract  the  eye,  representing  the 
chief  deities  of  Scandinavian  mythology,  Odin,  Thor, 
and  Freyr;  but  as  regards  the  curiosities  collected 
here,  they  are  in  no  way  remarkable,  being  much  like 
those  of  other  collections.  One  exception  should  be 
made,  however,  in  favor  of  the  cabinet  of  ancient 
coins,  which  is  very  complete  and  attractive;  it  is 
claimed  for  it  that  there  is  no  other  in  Europe  of 
equal  interest  or  importance.  The  collection  of  an- 
cient Arabian  coins  is  unique,  and  would  delight  the 
heart  of  tlic  simplest  numismatist.  There  is  a  large 
gallery  of  paintings  in  tlie  upper  story  of  the  Museum, 
with  a  few  examples  of  the  old  masters  and  many  of 
the  modern  schools.  In  the  open  square  before  the 
National  Museum  is  to  be  seen  the  original  of  the 
bronze  group  described  in  our  chapter  upon  Gotten- 


184  DUE  NORTH. 

burg.  This  remarkable  production,  called  the  "  Girdle- 
Duellists,"  is  the  masterpiece  of  the  Swedish  artist 
Molin,  and  is  undoubtedly  the  finest  piece  of  sculpture 
to  be  seen  in  the  country.  The  pedestal  is  ornamented 
with  four  reliefs  representing-  the  origin  and  issue  of 
the  combat,  with  Runic  inscriptions  signifying  "  Jeal- 
ousy," "  Drinking,"  "  Beginning  of  the  Combat,"  and 
the  "  Widow's  Lament."  It  seemed  surprising  to  us 
that  an  artist  capable  of  such  admirable  work  as  this 
justly  famous  group  rejiresents,  could  also  have  been 
the  author  of  that  hideous  conception,  the  bronze 
statue  of  Charles  XII.,  so  conspicuously  placed  in  the 
King's  Park  of  Stockholm. 

One  of  the  most  popular  of  the  many  caf(5s  and 
pleasure-gardens  either  in  the  city  proper  or  its  en- 
virons, is  that  known  as  Hasselbacken,  which  is  situ- 
ated quite  near  to  the  Deer  Park.  This  garden  is 
crowded  day  and  evening  during  the  warm  season 
with  hundreds  of  visitors  intent  upon  enjoying  the 
various  entertainments  characterizing  this  resort, 
among  which  excellent  instrumental  and  vocal  music 
forms  a  specialty,  while  refreshments  of  every  sort 
are  served  by  an  army  of  white-aproned  and  active 
waiters.  A  broad  Turkish  pavilion  forms  the  prin- 
cipal concert-room  at  Hasselbacken,  picturesquely  fit- 
ted up  for  tlie  purpose.  In  these  grounds,  under  an 
ancient  oak  which  reared  its  tall  bead  proudly  above 
all  its  neighbors,  there  was  observed  a  fine  statue  of 
Bellman  the  composer,  who,  as  we  learned,  was  accus- 
tomed a  century  ago  to  sit  in  this  spot  and  sing  his 


rilE   ROYAL    COTTAGE   OF  ROSE  DALE.      185 

compositions  to  his  assembled  friends,  accompanying 
himself  on  his  favorite  instrument  the  cithern.  The 
sculptor  Nystrom  has  reproduced  the  poet  in  bronze  ; 
and  the  composition  is  both  beautiful  as  an  ideal- 
historical  monument  and  excellent  in  an  artistic  point 
of  view.  Fountains  and  flower-beds  abound  on  all 
sides  in  these  inviting  grounds,  the  sylvan  aspect 
being  carefully  and  ingeniously  preserved. 

While  driving  in  the  Deer  Park  we  accidentally 
came  upon  the  royal  cottage  of  Rosedale,  which  was 
built  by  Charles  XIV.  about  sixty  years  ago,  and 
was  the  favorite  summer  residence  of  the  Queen- 
dowager  Josephine.  It  is  a  most  delightful  rural 
retreat,  surrounded  by  hothouses,  graperies,  flower- 
plots,  broad  gravelled  walks,  and  trees  in  great  vari- 
ety. Some  of  the  ancient  oaks  about  Rosedale  are  of 
special  beauty  and  of  noble  development,  challenging 
the  admiration  of  every  stranger.  In  the  rear  of  the 
royal  cottage  is  a  remarkable  porphyry  urn  in  three 
parts,  foot,  stem,  and  crown,  —  being  nearly  forty  feet 
in  circumference,  and  Avcighing,  we  were  told,  over 
fifty  thousand  pounds.  Charles  XIV.  took  great  pride 
in  perfecting  the  Deer  Park  as  a  place  of  public  resort 
and  pleasure,  for  which  object  he  expended  large  sums 
from  his  private  purse.  From  Rosedale  one  can  re- 
turn to  the  city  by  boat  or  by  a  drive  over  the  pleasant, 
well-macadamized  roads  which  intersect  the  country 
lying  between  the  Baltic  and  Lake  Maelaren. 

Upsala  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  country  as  well  as 
the  historical  and  educational  centre  of  the  kingdom, 


186  DUE  NORTH. 

situated  just  fifty  miles  from  Stockholm,  and  may  be 
reached  either  by  l^oat  or  by  raiL  Going  in  one  way 
and  returning  by  the  other  adds  a  pleasing  variety  to 
the  trip,  which  by  starting  early  in  the  morning  can 
be  satisfactorily  consummated  in  a  single  day.  This 
is  the  Cambridge  of  Sweden,  —  the  name  Upsala  sig- 
nifying the  "  Lofty  Halls."  It  was  the  royal  capital  of 
the  country  for  more  than  a  thousand  years,  and  was 
the  locality  of  the  great  temple  of  Tlior,  now  replaced 
by  a  Christian  cathedral  which  was  over  two  centuries 
in  building.  "  The  religion  of  one  age  is  the  literary 
entertainment  of  the  next,"  says  Emerson.  The  more 
modern  structure  is  in  the  Gothic  st\'le,  built  of  brick, 
and  the  site  being  on  elevated  ground  renders  it  very 
effective.  Originally  it  had  three  spires  four  hundred 
feet  high ;  but  these  were  destroyed  by  lightning  in 
1702,  and  were  afterwards  replaced  b}'  the  present 
two  incongruous  towers  of  circumscribed  elevation, 
and  which  do  not  at  all  accord  with  the  original 
architectural  design  of  the  structure.  This  spot  in 
the  Pagan  ages  was  a  famous  resort  for  sacrifices. 
History,  or  at  least  legend  tells  us  that  in  those  days 
the  original  temi)le  was  surrounded  by  a  sacred  grove 
wherein  the  sacrifices  were  made  to  propitiate  the 
deities  worshipped  there,  —  human  blood  being  con- 
sidered the  most  acceptable.  So  powerful  was  the 
heathenish  infatuation,  that  parents. even  immolated 
their  children.  An  account  is  still  extant  of  seventy- 
two  bodies  of  human  beings  being  seen  here  at  one 
time,  suspended  and  dead  upon  the  trees.     Odin  was 


THE    UXIVEliSlTY  OF   UPS  A  LA.  187 

once  a  sacred  deity  here ;  now  the  name  represents 
among  the  peasantry  that  of  the  DeviL  The  present 
temple  in  its  architectural  aspect  is  nearly  a  duplicate 
of  Notre  Dame  in  Paris,  and  is  the  largest  cathedral 
in  the  north  of  Europe.  The  same  architect,  Eticnne 
de  Bonnevil,  designed  them  both,  and  came  to  Upsala, 
accomj)anied  by  a  small  army  of  mechanics  from 
France,  to  begin  the  work  which  was  destined,  from 
various  causes,  to  linger  along  through  two  cen- 
turies. The  interior  is  impressive  from  its  severe 
simplicity.  The  flying  buttresses  inside  the  structure 
give  a  peculiarly  striking  effect.  Between  each  of 
them  is  a  small  chapel.  The  vaulting  is  supported 
by  twenty-four  soaring  pillars.  The  dead,  cold  walls 
are  finished  in  glaring  whitewash  without  any  relief. 
Under  the  altar  is  an  elaborate  and  much-venerated 
shrine  of  silver  containing  the  ashes  of  Saint  Eric, 
the  patron  saint  of  Sweden. 

Upsala  has  often  been  the  scene  of  fierce  and 
bloody  conflicts.  Saint  Eric  was  slain  here  in  llGl. 
It  has  its  university  and  its  historical  associations ; 
but  it  has  neither  trade  nor  commerce  of  any  sort 
beyond  that  of  a  small  inland  town,  —  its  streets  never 
being  disturbed  by  business  activity  or  the  "  fever  of 
living,"  though  there  is  a  population  here  of  at  least 
fifteen  or  sixteen  thousand  persons.  The  University, 
founded  in  1477  and  richly  endowed  by  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  is  the  just  pride  of  the  country,  —  having 
to-day  some  fifteen  hundred  studerits  and  forty-eight 
competent  professors.     No  one  can  enter  the  profes' 


188  DUE  NORTH. 

8ion  of  law,  medicine,  or  divinity  in  Sweden  who  has 
not  graduated  either  at  this  University  or  at  that  of 
Lund.  Its  library  contains  nearly  or  quite  two  hun- 
dred thousand  bound  volumes  and  over  seven  thou- 
sand important  manuscripts.  Among  the  latter  is  a 
copy  of  the  four  Gospels,  with  movable  silver  letters 
placed  on  parchment  at  the  chapter  heads,  the  whole 
being  in  the  old  Gothic  language.  This  book,  named 
"  Codex  Argenteus,"  contains  nearly  two  hundred 
folios,  and  was  made  by  Bishop  Ulphilas  one  thou- 
sand years  before  Gutenberg  was  born.  It  was  in 
this  University  that  Linnaeus,  the  great  naturalist, 
was  professor  of  botany  and  zoology  for  nearly  forty 
years.  His  statue  still  very  properly  ornaments  the 
lecture-room,  and  his  journal  is  shown  to  visitors  in 
the  large  hall  of  the  library. 

The  former  dwelling  house  of  Linnaeus  may  be  seen 
by  tourists  at  Upsala,  where  he  lived  among  his  well- 
beloved  flora,  planted  and  tended  by  his  own  hands. 
His  remains  lie  interred  within  the  cathedral  under  a 
mural  tablet  of  red  porphyry,  bearing  upon  the  surface 
a  portrait  of  the  grand  old  naturalist  by  Sergei,  in  bas- 
relief.  Many  of  the  tombs  and  tablets  in  the  aisles  bore 
dates  of  more  than  five  hundred  years  ago,  but  none 
interested  us  so  much  as  that  of  Linnasus  the  great 
disciple  of  Nature.  This  humble  shoemaker  by  force 
of  his  genius  alone  rose  to  be  a  prince  in  the  kingdom 
of  Science.  Botany  and  Zoology  have  never  known  a 
more  eminent  exponent  than  the  lowly-born  Karl  von 
Linn(^,  whom  the  Swedes  very  aj)propriately  dcnomi- 


AN   OLD    CHURCH  AT    U  PSA  LA.  189 

natc  the  King  of  Flowers.  A  certain  knowledge  of 
l)lants  and  of  natural  history  forms  a  part  of  the  pri- 
mary education  of  every  Swede.  At  Upsala  one  has 
abundant  evidence  to  show  how  liberally  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  country  fosters  education  among  all 
classes,  and  also  that  special  attention  is  given  to  the 
education  of  women. 

About  three  or  four  miles  from  the  University  is 
the  village  of  Old  Upsala,  where  there  are  three  huge 
tumuli  said  to  contain  the  remains  of  Pagan  deities. 
One  is  here  forcibly  reminded  of  the  North  American 
mound -builders.  In  Illinois  the  author  has  seen  ex- 
amples double  the  size  of  these  at  Upsala,  while  in 
the  State  of  Ohio  there  are  thousands  of  these  tumuli 
to  be  seen.  Adjoining  the  three  mounds  at  U{)sala 
is  a  quaint  little  church,  more  than  two  thousand 
years  old,  built  of  rough  field-stones.  It  contains  a 
monument  to  Anders  Celsius  the  Swedish  astronomer 
and  some  ancient  ecclesiastical  vessels,  also  some 
old  pictures  upon  canvas  nearly  consumed  by  mould. 
The  huge  key  with  which  the  door  was  opened  to  ad- 
mit the  author  bore  a  date  of  six  centuries  ago.  We 
noticed  some  Pagan  idols  in  wood  preserved  in  an 
oaken  chest  inside  the  old  church,  which  dated  about 
the  eleventh  century.  What  a  venerable,  crude,  and 
miraculously-preserved  old  pile  it  is  !  Who  can  say 
that  inanimate  objects  are  not  susceptible  to  minute 
impressions  which  they  retain  ?  Has  not  the  phono- 
graph proven  that  it  receives  mechanically,  through 
the  waves  of  sound,  spoken  words,  which  it  records 


190  DUE  NORTH. 

and   repeats?     What  then  may  possibly  be  retained 
in  the  memory  of  this  old,  old  church,  which  has  kept 
watch  and  ward  on  the  footsteps  of  time,  these  two 
thousand  years  !     Few  temples  are  now  in  existence 
which  are  known  to  antedate  the  Christian  era,  but 
undoubtedly  these  gray  old  walls  form  one  of  them. 
The  three  mounds  referred  to  —  the  tombs  of  heroes  in 
their  lifetime,  gods  in  their  death — are  said  to  be  those 
of  Thor,  Odin,  and  Freyr.     They  were  found  easy  of 
ascent,  and  were  covered  with  a  soft,  fresh  verdure, 
from  whence  we  gathered  a  bouquet  of  native  thyme 
and  various  colored  wild-flowers  which  were  brought 
back  with  us  to  Stockholm.     Near  these  mounds  is 
also  a  hill  of  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  height  called  Ting- 
shog,  from  which  all    the   kings  down  to  Gustavus 
Vasa  used  to  address  their  subjects.     In  this  same 
neighborhood  also  are  the  famous  Mora  Stones,  where 
in   the  Middle  Ages  the  election  ceremony  and  the 
crowning  of  the  Swedish  kings  took  place  with  great 
solemnity.     Tangible  evidence  as  well  as  the  pages  of 
history  show  Upsala  to  have  been  the  great  stronghold 
of  Paganism,  and  here   the  apostles  of  Christianity 
encountered  the  most  determined  opposition.     There 
are  many  other  mounds  in  the  vicinity  of  the  three 
specified,  all  undoubted  burial-places  erected  ages  ago. 
The  highest  one,  measuring  sixty  four  perpendicular 
feet,  was  cut  through  in  1874  to  enable  the  Ethnolo- 
gical Congress  then  assembled  here  to  examine  the 
inside.     There  were  found  within  it  a  skeleton  and 
some  fragments  of  arms  and  jewelry,  which  are  now 


SWEDEN  Doners   STUDY.  191 

prcsorvcd  in  the  Museum  at  Stockliohn.  We  were 
told  that  another  of  these  mounds  was  opened  in  a 
similar  manner  nearly  fifty  years  ago,  with  a  like  re- 
sult as  to  its  contents. 

Before  leaving  the  Swedish  capital  a  spot  of  more 
than  passing  interest  was  visited  ;  namely,  the  garden 
and  summer-house  in  which  Emanuel  Swedenborg, 
philosopher  and  theosophist,  wrote  his  remarkable 
works.  It  seems  strange  that  here  in  his  native  city 
this  man  as  a  religionist  had  no  followers.  It  is  be- 
lieved to-day  by  many  in  Stockholm  that  he  wrote 
under  a  condition  of  partial  derangement  of  mind. 
The  house  which  he  owned  and  in  which  he  lived  has 
crumbled  away  and  disappeared,  but  his  summer- 
house  study —  a  small  close  building  fifteen  feet  in 
height  and  about  eighteen  feet  square  —  is  still  extant. 
In  most  countries  such  a  relic  would  be  carefully  pre- 
served, and  made  to  answer  the  })urpose  of  an  exhibi- 
tion to  the  visiting  strangers  ;  but  here  no  special  note 
is  taken  of  it,  and  not  without  some  difficulty  could  it 
be  found.  One  intelligent  resident  even  denied  the 
existence  of  this  object  of  in([uiry,  but  a  little  persis- 
tent effort  at  last  discovered  the  interesting  old  study 
at  No.  43  Hornsgatan,  a  few  streets  in  the  rear  of  the 
Royal  Palace,  from  which  it  is  about  one  half  of  a 
mile  distant. 

Every  one  is  amenable  to  the  influence  of  the  wcatlier. 
Had  the  same  dull  dripping  atmosphere  greeted  us  at 
Stockholm  which  was  encountered  at  Bergen,  perhaps 
the  impression  left  upon  the  memory  would  have  been 


192  DUE  NORTH. 

less  propitious,  but  the  exact  contrary  was  the  case. 
The  days  passed  here  were  warm,  briglit,  and  sunny  ; 
everything  wore  a  holiday  aspect ;  life  was  at  its  gay- 
est among  the  citizens  as  seen  in  the  public  gardens, 
streets,  and  squares,  even  the  big  white  sea-gnlls  that 
swooped  gracefully  over  the  many  water-ways,  though 
rather  queer  habitues  of  a  populous  city,  seemed  to  be 
uttering  cries  of  bird  merriment.  In  short  our  entire 
experience  of  the  Swedish  capital  is  tinctured  with 
pleasurable  memories. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Northern  Mediterranean. — Depth  of  the  Sea. — Where  Ambei 
conies  From.  —  A  Thousand  Isles.  —  City  of  Abo.  —  Departed 
Glory.  —  Capital  of  Finland.  —  Local  Scenes.  —  Russian  Govern- 
ment. —  Finland's  Dependency.  —  Billingsgate.  —  A  Woman  Sailor 
in  an  Exigency.  —  Fortress  of  Sweaborg.  —  Fortifications  of  Cron- 
stadt.  —  Kussia's  Great  Naval  Station.  —  The  Emperor's  Steam 
Yacht.  —  A  Sail  Up  the  Neva.  — St.  Petersburg  in  the  Distance.  — 
First  Russian  Dinner. 


Embarking  at  Stockholm  for  St.  Petersburg  one 
crosses  the  Baltic, — that  Mediterranean  of  the  North, 
but  which  is  in  reality  a  remote  branch  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  two  gulfs,  the 
Cattegat  and  the  Skager-Rack.  It  reaches  from  the 
south  of  the  Danish  archipelago  up  to  the  latitude  of 
Stockholm,  where  it  extends  a  right  and  left  arm,  each 
of  great  size,  the  former  being  the  Gulf  of  Finland, 
and  the  latter  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  the  whole  forming 
the  most  remarkable  basin  of  navigable  inland  water 
in  the  world.  Tbe  Finnish  Gulf  is  two  hundred  miles 
long  by  an  average  width  of  sixty  miles,  and  that  of 
Bothnia  is  four  hundred  miles  long  averaging  a  hun- 
dred in  width.  The  peninsula  of  Denmark,  known 
under  the  name  of  Jutland,  stands  like  a  barrier  be- 
tween the  Baltic  and  the  North  Sea,  midway  between 
the  two  extremes  of  the  general  western  configuration 
i;5 


194  DUE  NORTH. 

of  the  continent  of  Europe.  We  have  called  the 
Baltic  the  Mediterranean  of  the  North,  but  it  has  no 
such  depth  as  that  classic  inland  sea,  which  finds  its 
bed  in  a  cleft  of  marvellous  depression  between  Europe 
and  Africa.  One  thousand  fathoms  of  sounding-line 
off  Gibraltar  will  not  reach  the  bottom,  and  two  thou- 
sand fathoms  fail  to  find  it  a  few  miles  east  of  Malta. 
The  maximum  depth  of  the  Baltic  on  the  contrary  is 
found  to  be  only  a  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms,  while 
its  average  depth  is  considerably  less  than  a  hundred 
fathoms.  It  cannot  be  said  that  these  Avaters  deserve 
the  expressive  epithet  which  has  been  applied  to  the 
sea  that  laves  the  coast  of  Italy  and  the  Grecian 
Isles  ;  namely,  "  The  cradle  of  the  human-  race,"  but 
yet  the  ages  ancient  and  modern  have  not  been  with- 
out their  full  share  of  startling  episodes  in  these  more 
northern  regions. 

It  is  a  curious  though  familiar  fact  that  the  waters  of 
the  Baltic,  or  rather  the  bottom  of  the  basin  in  which 
it  lies,  is  rich  in  amber,  which  the  agitated  waters 
cast  upon  the  shores  in  large  quantities  annually,  — 
a  process  which  has  been  going  on  here  for  three  or 
four  centuries  at  least.  We  all  know  that  amber 
is  an  indurated  fossil  resin  produced  by  an  extinct 
species  of  pine  ;  so  that  it  is  evident  that  where  these 
waters  ebb  and  flow  there  were  once  flourishing  forests 
of  amber  pines.  These  were  doubtless  submerged  by 
the  gradual  encroachment  of  the  sea,  or  suddenly 
engulfed  by  some  grand  volcanic  action  of  Nature. 
Pieces  of  the  bark  and  the  cones  of  the  pine-tree  are 


FROM  STOCKHOLM  TO  ST.  PETERSBURG.     195 

often  found  adhering  to  the  amber,  and  insects  of  a 
kind  unknown  to  our  day  are  also  found  embedded  in 
its  yellow  depths.  The  largest  piece  of  amber  extant 
is  in  the  Berlin  Museum,  and  is  about  the  size  of  a 
child's  head.  This  is  dark  and  lacks  transparency,  a 
quality  which  is  particularly  sought  for  by  those  who 
trade  in  the  article.  It  is  known  that  the  peninsula 
of  Scandinavia  is  gradually  becoming  elevated  above 
the  surrounding  waters  at  the  north,  and  depressed 
in  an  equal  ratio  in  the  extreme  south, —  a  fact  which 
is  held  to  be  of  great  interest  among  geologists.  The 
total  change  in  the  level  has  been  carefully  observed 
and  recorded  by  scientific  commissions,  and  the  aggre- 
gate certified  to  is  a  trifle  over  three  feet  occurring  in 
a  period  of  a  hundred  and  eighteen  years. 

We  took  passage  on  a  neat  little  steamer  of  about 
four  hundred  tons  which  plies  regularly  between  the 
capitals  of  Sweden  and  Russia,  stopping  on  the  way 
at  Abo  and  Helsingfora,  a  distance  in  all  of  about  six 
hundred  miles.  By  this  route,  after  crossing  the  open 
sea,  one  passes  through  an  almost  endless  labyrinth 
of  picturesque  islands  in  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  includ- 
ing the  archipelago  known  as  the  Aland  Isles,  besides 
many  isolated  ones  quite  near  to  the  coast  of  Finland. 
This  forms  a  most  delightful  sail,  the  waters  being 
nearly  always  smooth,  except  during  a  few  hours  of 
necessary  exposure  in  the  open  Gulf.  The  islands  are 
generally  covered  with  a  variety  of  trees  and  attrac- 
tive verdure,  many  of  them  being  also  improved  for 
the  purpose  of   small  farms,  embracing  a])propriate 


196  DUE  NORTH. 

clusters  of  buildings,  about  which  were  grouped  do- 
mestic cattle  and  bevies  of  merry  children,  making 
memorable  pictures  as  we  wound  in  and  out  among 
them  pursuing  the  course  of  the  channel.     The  great 
contrast  between  these  low-lying  verdant  islands  and 
those  lofty,  frowning,  jagged,  and  snow-capped  ones 
which  we  had  so  lately  encountered  in  the  far  North 
was  striking  indeed.     By  and  by  we  enter  the  fjord 
which  leads  up  to  Abo  from  the  Gulf,  w-hich  is  also 
dotted  here  and  there  by  the  most  beautiful,  garden- 
like  islands   imaginable,  and   upon   which  are  built 
many  pretty  chalets,  forming  the  summer  homes  of 
the  citizens  of  Finmark's  former  capital.     It  would 
be  difficult  to  name  a  trip  of  a  mingled  sea-and-land 
character  so  thoroughly  delightful ;  it  constantly  and 
vividly  recalled  the  thousand  islands  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence in  North  America,  and  the  Inland  Sea  of  Japan. 
The  town  of  Abo  has  a  population  of  about  twenty-five 
thousand,  who  are  mostly  of  Swedish  descent.     It  is 
thrifty,  cleanly,  and  wears  an  aspect  of  quiet  pros- 
perity.    The  place  is  venerable  in  years,  and  has  a 
record  reaching  back  for  over  seven  centuries.     Here 
the  Russian  flag— red,  blue,  and  white— first  begins 
to  greet  one  from  all  appropriate  points,  and  more 
especially  from  the  shipping ;  but  we  almost  uncon- 
sciously pass  from  one  nationality  to  another  where 
the  dividing  lines  arc  of  so  mingled  a  character.     The 
most  prominent  building  to  catch  the  stranger's  eye 
on  entering  the  harbor  is  the  long  barrack-like  prison 
upon  a  hillside.     In  front  of  us  loomed  up  the  famous 


Abo  A^'D  iielsingfors.  197 

old  castle  of  Abo,  awkward  and  irregular  in  shape, 
and  snow  white.  Here  in  the  olden  time  Gustavus 
Vasa,  Eric  XIV.,  and  John  III.  held  royal  court. 
The  streets  are  few  but  very  broad,  Avhich  causes  the 
town  to  cover  an  area  quite  out  of  proportion  to  the 
number  of  its  inhabitants.  The  buildings  are  all 
modern,  as  the  fire-fiend  destroyed  nearly  the  entire 
place  so  late  as  1827,  when  nine  hundred  buildings 
and  over  were  consumed  within  the  space  of  a  few 
hours. 

The  Russian  Chapel  is  a  conspicuous  and  charac- 
teristic building,  and  so  is  the  Astronomical  Observa- 
tory, situated  on  the  highest  eminence  in  the  town. 
This  structure  has  lately  been  converted  into  a  scien- 
tific school.  Crowds  of  pupils  were  filing  out  of  its 
doors  just  as  we  made  fast  to  the  shore  in  full  view. 
The  cathedral  is  an  object  of  some  interest,  and  con- 
tains many  curious  relics.  Abo  however  is  a  very 
(piiet  little  town,  whose  glory  has  departed  since  it 
ceased  in  1819  to  be  the  political  capital  of  Finland. 
It  formerly  boasted  a  University,  but  that  institution 
and  its  large  library  were  swept  away  by  the  fire 
already  mentioned. 

Iielsingfors  is  situated  still  farther  up  the  Gulf, 
facing  the  ancient  town  of  Revel  on  the  Esthonian 
coast,  and  is  reached  from  Abo  in  about  twelve  hours' 
sail,  also  through  a  laljyrinth  of  islands  so  numerous  as 
to  be  quite  confusing,  but  whose  picturesquencss  and 
beauty  will  not  easily  be  forgotten.  This  is  the  pres- 
ent capital  of  Finland,  and  it  contains  from  (iftv  to 


198  DUE  NORTH. 

fiftj-five  thousand  inhabitants,  but  has  several  times 
been  partially  destroyed  by  plague,  famine,  and  fire. 
It  was  founded  by  Gustavus  Vasa  of  Sweden,  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  The  University  is  represented  to  be 
of  a  high  standard  of  excellence,  and  contains  a  library 
of  about  two  hundred  thousand  volumes.  A  gentle- 
man who  was  himself  a  graduate  of  the  institution 
and  a  fellow  passenger  on  the  steamer,  entertained  us 
with  an  interesting  account  of  the  educational  system 
enforced  here.  The  present  number  of  students  ex- 
ceeds seven  hundred,  and  there  are  forty  professors 
attached  to  the  institution,  which  is  the  oldest  univer- 
sity in  Russia,  having  been  founded  as  far  back  as 
1640.  It  is  interesting  to  recall  the  fact  that  printing 
was  not  introduced  into  Finland  until  a  year  later. 

The  most  striking  feature  of  Helsingfors  as  one  ap- 
proaches it  from  the  sea  is  the  large  Greek  Church 
with  its  fifteen  domes  and  minarets,  each  capped  by  a 
glittering  cross  and  crescent  with  pendant  chains  in 
gilt,  and  as  it  is  built  upon  high  ground  the  whole  is 
very  effective.  The  Lutheran  Church  is  also  pictur- 
esque and  notable,  with  its  five  domes  sparkling  with 
gilded  stars  upon  a  dark  green  ground,  a  style  of 
finish  quite  new  to  us,  but  which  became  familiar 
after  visiting  the  interior  of  Russia.  The  approach 
to  the  entrance  of  this  church  is  formed  by  many 
granite  steps,  which  extend  across  the  base  of  the 
facade  and  are  over  two  hundred  feet  in  width.  The 
streets  of  the  town  are  handsomely  and  evenly  paved, 
of   o'ood   width,  and   bordered   with  excellent  raised 


FINLAND'S  RELATIUNS   TO  RUSSIA.       IDS 

sitle-walks,  —  a  convenience  too  generally  wanting  in 
old  European  cities  and  towns.  Through  the  centre 
of  some  of  the  main  streets  a  broad  walk  is  con- 
structed, lined  on  either  side  by  trees  of  the  linden 
family,  and  very  ornamental.  The  buildings  are  im- 
posing architecturally,  being  mostly  in  long  uniform 
blocks,  quite  Parisian  in  effect.  Several  large  build- 
ings were  observed  in  course  of  construction,  and  there 
were  many  tokens  of  prosperity  manifest  on  all  hands. 
The  Imperial  Palace  is  a  plain  but  substantial  build- 
ing, with  heavy  Corinthian  pillars  in  front.  Its  situa- 
tion seemed  to  us  a  little  incongruous,  being  located 
in  a  commercial  centre  quite  near  the  wharves. 

We  need  hardly  remind  the  reader  that  Finland  is 
a  dependency  of  Russia ;  yet  it  is  nearly  as  indepen- 
dent as  is  Norway  of  Sweden.  Finland  is  ruled  by  a 
governor-general  assisted  by  the  Imperial  Senate,  over 
which  a  representative  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia  pre- 
sides. There  is  also  resident  at  St.  Petersburg  a 
Secretary  of  State,  so  to  designate  the  oflficial,  for  Fin- 
land. Still,  the  country  pays  no  tribute  to  Russia. 
It  imposes  its  own  taxes,  and  forms  its  own  codes  of 
law ;  so  that  Norway,  as  regards  constitutional  liberty, 
is  scarcely  freer  or  more  democratic.  When  Finland 
was  joined  to  Russia,  Alexander  I.  assured  the  people 
that  the  integrity  of  their  constitution  and  religion 
should  be  protected ;  and  this  promise  has  thus  far 
been  honestly  kept  by  the  dominant  power. 

The  port  of  Hclsingfors  is  defended  by  the  large 
and  famous  fortress  of  Swoaborg,  which  rci)ellcd  the 


200  DUE  NORTH. 

Euglisli  and  French  fleets  during  the  Crimean  war.  It 
was  constructed  by  the  Swedish  General  Ehrensward, 
who  was  a  poet  as  well  as  an  excellent  military  engi- 
neer. The  fort  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the  strong- 
est in  the  world,  and  is -situated  upon  seven  islands, 
each  being  connected  with  the  main  fortress  by  tun- 
nels under  the  waters  of  the  harbor  constructed  at 
enormous  expense,  mostly  through  ledges  of  solid 
granite.  The  natural  rock  of  these  islands  has,  in 
fact,  been  utilized  somewhat  after  the  elaborate  style 
of  Gibraltar.  An  extensive  and  most  substantial  gran- 
ite quay  extends  along  the  water  in  front  of  the  town, 
where  a  large  fleet  of  fishing-boats  managed  mostly 
by  women  is  moored  daily,  with  the  freshly  caught  car- 
goes displayed  for  sale,  spread  out  in  great  variety 
both  upon  the  immediate  shore  and  on  the  decks  of 
their  homely  but  serviceable  little  vessels.  The  energy 
of  the  fishwomen  in  their  efforts  to  trade  with  all 
comers,  accompanied  by  loud  expressions  and  vocifer- 
ous exclamations,  led  us  to  think  that  there  might  be 
a  Finnish  Billingsgate  as  well  as  an  English.  While 
we  stood  watching  the  busy  scene  on  and  near  the 
wharves,  a  fishing-boat  of  about  twenty  tons,  with 
two  masts  supporting  fore  and  aft  sails  and  a  fore-stay- 
sail, was  just  getting  under  way  outward  bound.  The 
boat  contained  a  couple  of  lads  and  a  middle-aged 
woman,  who  held  the  sheet  of  the  mainsail  as  she 
sat  beside  tlic  tiller.  The  little  craft  had  just  fairly 
laid  her  course  close-hauled  towards  the  mouth  of  tlic 
bay,  and  was  hardly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  tlic  dock 


CRONSTADT.  201 

when  one  of  the  sudden  scjualls  so  common  in  this 
region,  accompanied  by  heavy  rain,  came  down  upon 
the  craft  like  a  flash,  driving  her  lee  gunwales  for  a 
moment  quite  under  water.  The  main  sheet  was  in- 
stantly let  go,  so  also  with  the  fore  and  stay  sails,  and 
the  boat  prom})tly  brought  to  the  wind,  while  the  wo- 
man at  the  helm  issued  one  or  two  orders  to  her  boy- 
erew  which  were  instantly  obeyed.  Ten  minutes  later, 
under  a  close-reefed  foresail,  the  boat  had  taken  the 
wind  upon  the  opposite  tack  and  was  scudding  into 
the  shelter  of  the  dock,  where  she  was  properly  made 
fast  and  her  sails  quietly  furled  to  await  the  advent 
of  more  favorable  weather.  No  experienced  seaman 
could  have  managed  the  boat  better  under  the  circum- 
stances than  did  this  w'oman. 

After  leaving  Helsingfors  we  next  come  upon  Cron- 
stadt,  formed  by  a  series  of  low  islands  about  five  miles 
long  by  one  broad,  wdiich  are  important  only  as  for- 
tifications and  as  being  the  acknowledged  key  of  St. 
Petersburg,  forming  also  the  chief  naval  station  of 
the  great  empire.  The  two  fortifications  of  Swcaboi-g 
and  Cronstadt  insure  to  Russia  the  possession  of  the 
Gulf  of  Finland.  The  cluster  of  islands  which  form 
the  great  Russian  naval  station  arc  raised  above  tlie 
level  of  the  sea  barely  sufficient  to  prevent  their  be- 
ing overflowed,  while  the  foundations  of  many  of  the 
minor  works  are  considerably  below  the  surrounding 
waters,  which  are  rather  shallow,  being  less  than  two 
fathoms  in  depth.  The  fortifications  are  of  brick  faced 
with  izranite,  and  consist  mainlv  of  a  rounded  structure 


202  DUE  NORTH. 

with  four  stories  of  embrasures,  from  the  top  of  which 
rises  a  tall  signal-mast  supporting  the  Muscovite  flag. 
The  arsenals  and  docks  here  are  very  extensive,  and 
unsurpassed  of  their  kind  in  completeness.  The  best 
machinists  in  the  world  find  employment  here,  the 
latest  inventions  a  sure  market.  In  all  facilities  for 
marine  armament  Russia  is  fully  abreast  of  if  it  does 
not  surpass  most  of  the  nations  of  Europe.  The  quays 
of  Cronstadt  are  built  of  granite  and  form  a  grand 
monument  of  engineering  skill,  facing  the  mouth  of 
the  Neva,  less  than  twenty  miles  from  the  Russian  cap- 
ital. Six  or  eight  miles  to  the  south  lies  Istria,  and 
about  the  same  distance  to  the  north  is  the  coast  of 
Carelia.  The  population  of  the  adjoining  town  will 
aggregate  nearly  fifty  thousand  persons,  more  than 
half  of  whom  belong  either  directly  or  indirectly  to 
the  army  or  navy.  The  Russian  fleet,  consisting  of 
iron-clads,  rams,  torpedo-boats,  and  sea-going  steamers 
of  heavy  armament,  lies  at  anchor  in  a  spacious  har- 
bor behind  the  forts.  The  united  defences  here  are 
so  strong  that  the  place  is  reasonably  considered  to  be 
impregnable.  An  enemy  could  approach  only  by  a 
narrow  winding  passage,  which  is  commanded  by  such 
a  cross-fire  from  the  heaviest  guns  as  would  sink  any 
naval  armament  now  afloat.  As  we  have  intimated, 
every  fresh  improvement  in  ordnance  is  promptly 
adopted  by  Russia,  whose  army  and  navy  are  kept  at 
all  times  if  not  absolutely  upon  what  is  called  a  war- 
footing,  still  in  a  good  condition  for  the  commence- 
ment of  offensive  or  defensive  warfare. 


SAILING    UP    THE   ItlVER   NEVA.  'l^o 

As  WO  came  into  the  river  from  the  Gulf  we  passed 
the  Emperor's  private  steam-yacht,  which  is  a  splendid 
side-wheel  steamer  of  about  two  thousand  tons  burden. 
She  was  riding  quietly  at  anchor,  a  perfect  picture  of 
nautical  beauty.  Yet  a  single  order  from  her  quarter- 
deck would  instantly  dispel  this  tranquillity,  covering 
her  decks  with  sturdy  seamen  armed  to  the  teeth, 
opening  her  ports  for  huge  death-dealing  cannon,  and 
peopling  her  shrouds  with  scores  of  sliarp-shooters. 
The  captain  of  our  own  vessel  told  us  that  she  was  the 
fastest  sea-going  steamer  ever  built.  Behind  the  royal 
yacht,  some  little  distance  upon  the  land,  the  Palace 
and  surroundings  of  Peterhotf  were  lit  up  by  the  sun's 
rays  playing  upon  the  collection  of  gilded  and  fantas- 
tic domes.  It  was  a  fete  day.  A  baby  of  royal  birth 
was  to  be  christened,  and  the  Emperor,  Empress,  and 
royal  household  were  to  assist  on  the  auspicious  occa- 
sion ;  hence  all  the  out-door  Avorld  was  dressed  in  na- 
tional hags,  and  the  passenger  steamers  were  crowded 
with  people  bent  upon  making  a  holiday.  The  sail 
up  that  queen  of  northern  rivers  presented  a  charm- 
ing panorama.  Passenger  steamers  flitting  about 
with  well-peo})led  decks  ;  noisy  tug-boats  puffing  and 
whistling  while  towing  heavily-laden  barges ;  naval 
cutters  propelled  by  dozens  of  white-clad  oarsmen,  and 
steered  by  officers  in  dazzling  uniforms  ;  small  sailing 
yachts  glancing  hither  and  thither,  —  all  gave  life  and 
animation  to  the  maritime  scene.  Here  and  there  on 
the  river's  course  long  reaches  of  sandy  shoals  would 
appear  covered  with  myriads  of  white  sea-gulls,  scores 


204  DUE  NORTH. 

of  which  would  occasionally  rise,  hover  over  our 
steamer  and  settle  in  her  wake.  As  we  approached 
nearer  and  nearer,  hundreds  of  gilded  domes  and 
towers  of  the  city  flashing  in  the  warm  light  came 
swiftly  into  view.  Some  of  the  spires  were  of  such 
great  height  in  proportion  to  their  diameter  as  to  pre- 
sent a  needle-like  appearance.  Among  these  reach- 
ing so  bravely  heavenward  were  the  slender  spire  of 
the  Cathedral  of  Peter  and  Paul  within  the  fortress, 
nearly  four  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  the  lofty  pin- 
nacle of  the  Admiralty. 

Notwithstanding  its  giddy  towers  and  looming  pal- 
aces rising  above  the  level  of  the  capital,  the  want  of 
a  little  diversity  in  the  grade  of  the  low-lying  city  is 
keenly  felt.  Like  Berlin  or  Havana,  it  is  built  upon 
a  perfect  level,  the  most  trying  of  positions.  A  few 
custom-house  formalities  were  encountered,  but  noth- 
ing of  which  a  person  could  reasonably  complain ; 
and  half  an  hour  after  the  steamer  had  moored  to  the 
wharf,  we  drove  to  the  HOtel  d'Angleterre,  on  Isaac's 
Square.  Then  followed  the  first  stroll  in  a  long- 
dreamed-of  city.  What  a  thrilling  delight!  Every- 
thing so  entirely  new  and  strange ;  all  out-of-doors  a 
novelty,  from  the  Greek  cross  on  the  top  of  the  lofty 
cupolas  to  the  very  pavement  under  one's  feet ;  and 
all  permeated  by  a  seductive  Oriental  atmosphere,  as 
stimulating  to  the  imagination  as  hashish. 

We  will  not  describe  in  detail  the  bill  of  fare  at  the 
first  regular  meal  partaken  of  in  Russia,  but  must  con- 
fess to  a  degree  of  surprise  at  the  dish  which  preceded 


A   RUSSIAN  DINNER.  205 

the  dinner;  namely,  iced  soup.  It  was  certainly  a 
novelty  to  the  author,  and  by  no  means  palatable  to 
one  not  initiated.  As  near  as  it  was  possible  to  ana- 
lyze the  production,  it  consisted  of  Russian  beer,  cu- 
cumbers, onions,  and  slices  of  uncooked  fish  floating 
on  the  surface  amid  small  pieces  of  ice.  With  this 
exception,  the  menu  was  not  very  dissimilar  to  the 
sparse  service  of  northern  European  hotels.  But  let 
us  dismiss  this  mention  of  food  as  promptly  as  we  did 
that  odious,  frosty  soup,  and  prepare  to  give  the  reader 
the  impressions  realized  from  the  grandest  city  of 
Northern  Europe. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

St.  Petersburg.  —  Churches.  —  The  Alexander  Column.  —  Principal 
Street.  —  Cathedral  of  Peter  and  Paul.  —  Nevsky  Monastery.  — 
Eussian  Priesthood.  —  The  Canals.  —  Public  Library.  —  Cruelty  of 
an  Empress.  —  Religious  Devotion  of  the  People.  —  A  Dangerous 
Locality.  —  Population.  —  The  Neva  and  Lake  Ladoga.  —  The 
Nicholas  Bridge.  — Winter  Season.  —  Begging  Nuns.  —  Nihilism. 
—  Scandal  Touching  the  Emperor.  —  The  Fashionable  Drive.  —  St. 
Isaac's  Church.  —  Prussian  Bells.  —  Famous  Ec|uestrian  Statue.  — 
The  Admiralty.  —  Architecture. 

St.  Peteesburg  is  a  city  of  sumptuous  distances. 
There  are  no  blind  alleys,  no  narrow  lanes,  no  rag- 
fair  in  the  imperial  capital.  The  streets  are  broad, 
the  open  squares  vast  in  size,  the  avenues  intermi- 
nable, the  river  wide  and  rapid,  and  the  lines  of  archi- 
tecture seemingly  endless,  while  the  whole  is  as  level 
as  a  chess-board.  One  instinctively  desires  to  reach 
a  spot  whence  to  overlook  this  broad  area  peopled  by 
more  than  eight  hundred  thousand  souls.  This  ob- 
ject is  easily  accomplished  by  ascending  the  tower  of 
the  Admiralty,  from  whose  base  the  main  avenues 
diverge.  The  comprehensive  view  from  this  eleva- 
tion is  unique,  studded  with  azure  domes  decked  with 
stars  of  silver  and  gilded  minarets.  A  grand  city  of 
palaces  and  spacious  boulevards  lies  spread  out  before 
the  spectator.  The  quays  of  the  Neva  above  and  be- 
low the  bridges  will  be  seen  to  present  as  animated  a 


THE  ALEXANDER    COLUMN.  207 

scene  as  the  busy  thoroughfares.  A  portion  of  this 
Admiralty  building  is  devoted  to  school-rooms  for  the 
education  of  naval  cadets.  The  rest  is  occupied  by 
the  civil  department  of  the  service  and  by  a  complete 
naval  museum,  to  which  the  officers  of  all  vessels  on 
their  return  from  distant  service  are  expected  to  con- 
tribute. There  are  over  two  hundred  churches  and 
chapels  in  the  city,  most  of  which  are  crowned  with 
four  or  five  fantastic  cupolas  each,  and  whose  interiors 
are  opulent  in  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones,  to- 
gether with  a  large  array  of  priestly  vestments  elabo- 
rately decked  with  gold  and  ornamented  with  gems.  It 
is  a  city  of  churches  and  palaces.  Peter  the  Great  and 
Catherine  II.,  who  has  been  called  the  female  Peter, 
made  this  brilliant  capital  what  it  is.  Everything 
that  meets  the  eye  is  colossal.  The  superb  Alexander 
Column,  erected  about  fifty  years  ago,  is  a  solid  shaft 
of  mottled  red  granite,  and  the  loftiest  monolith  in  the 
world.  On  its  pedestal  is  inscribed  this  simple  line  : 
"  To  Alexander  I.  Grateful  Russia."  It  is  surmounted 
by  an  angelic  figure,  —  the  whole  structure  being  one 
hundred  and  fifty-four  feet  high,  and  the  column  itself 
fourteen  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base ;  but  so  large  is 
the  square  in  which  it  stands  that  the  shaft  loses 
much  of  its  colossal  effect.  This  grand  column  was 
brought  from  the  quarries  of  Pytterlax,  in  Finland, 
one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  the  spot  where 
it  now  stands.  It  forms  a  magnificent  triumph  of 
human  power,  which  has  hewn  it  from  the  moun- 
tain mass  and  transported  it  intact  over  so  great  a 


208  DUE  NORTH. 

distance.  Arrived  complete  upon  the  ground  where  it 
was  designed  to  be  erected,  to  poise  it  safely  in  the 
air  was  no  small  engineering  triumph.  The  pedestal 
and  capitol  of  bronze  is  made  of  cannon  taken  from 
the  Turks  in  various  conflicts.  It  was  swung  into  its 
present  upright  position  one  August  day  in  1832,  in 
just  fifty-four  minutes,  under  direction  of  the  French 
architect,  M.  de  Montferrand.  Just  opposite  the  Alex- 
ander Column,  on  the  same  wide  area,  are  situated 
the  Winter  Palace,  —  the  Hermitage  on  one  side ;  and 
on  the  other,  in  half-moon  shape,  are  the  State  build- 
ings containing  the  bureaus  of  the  several  ministers, 
whose  quarters  are  indeed,  each  one,  a  palace  in  it- 
self. This  is  but  one  of  the  many  spacious  squares 
of  the  city  which  are  ornamented  with  bronze  statues 
of  more  or  less  merit,  embracing  monuments  of  Peter, 
Catherine,  Nicholas,  Alexander  I.,  and  many  others. 

The  Nevsky  Prospect  is  the  most  fashionable  thor- 
oughfare and  the  street  devoted  to  the  best  shops.  It 
is  from  two  to  three  hundred  feet  in  width,  and  ex- 
tends for  a  distance  of  three  miles  in  nearly  a  straight 
line  to  the  Alexander  Nevsky  Monastery,  forming  all 
together  a  magnificent  boulevard.  On  this  street  may 
be  seen  the  churches  of  several  dissenting  sects,  such 
as  Roman  Catholics,  Protestants,  Armenians,  and  a 
Mahometan  mosque.  Hereon  also  are  the  Imperial 
Library,  the  Alexander  Theatre,  and  the  Foreign 
Office.  The  metropolitan  cathedral  of  St.  Petersburg 
is  also  situated  upon  this  main  artery  of  the  city,  and 
is  called  Our  Ladv  of  Kazan,  —  finished  with  an  ele- 


THE  CHURCH  OF  OUR  LADY  OF  KAZAN.     209 

gaut  semi-circular  colonnade,  curving  around  a  large 
square  much  like  that  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  This 
edifice  is  superb  in  all  its  appointments,  no  expense 
having  been  spared  in  its  construction.  The  aggre- 
gate cost  was  three  millions  of  dollars.  One  item  of 
costliness  was  observed  in  the  massive  rails  of  the 
altar,  which  are  formed  of  solid  silver.  The  church 
contains  between  fifty  and  sixty  granite  columns 
brought  from  Finland,  each  one  of  which  is  a  mono- 
lith of  forty  feet  in  height,  with  base  and  capitol  of 
solid  bronze.  Why  the  architect  should  have  de- 
signed so  small  a  dome  as  that  which  forms  the  apex 
of  tins  costly  temple  with  its  extended  facade,  was  a 
question  which  often  occurred  to  us.  Within,  upon 
the  altar,  is  an  anreole  of  silver  bearing  the  name  of 
God,  inscribed  in  precious  stones  of  extraordinary 
value.  The  sacred  images  before  which  lamps  are 
always  burning  are  literally  covered  with  diamonds, 
rubies,  emeralds,  and  sapphires.  One  of  the  diamonds 
in  the  crown  of  Our  Lady  of  Kazan  is  of  fabulous 
value,  and  dazzling  to  look  upon.  Within  these  walls 
was  observed  the  tomb  of  Kutuzof,  the  so-called 
"  Savior  of  Russia  "  on  the  occasion  of  the  French  in- 
vasion  of  1812.  Outside,  in  front  of  the  cathedral, 
are  two  admirable  statues  in  bronze  standing  before 
the  bending  corridor  of  each  wing,  representing  his- 
torical characters  in  Russian  story,  but  whose  names 
are  quite  unpronounceable  in  our  tongue.  The  cos- 
mopolitan character  of  the  population  of  St.  Peters- 
burg is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  preaching  occurs 
14 


210  DUE  NORTH. 

weekly  in  twelve  different  languages  in  the  several 
churches  and  chapels  of  the  city. 

In  the  Cathedral  of  Peter  and  Paul  rest  the  ashes 
of  the  founder  of  the  city;  and  grouped  about  his 
tomb  are  those  of  his  successors  to  the  Russian 
throne,  with  the  exception  of  Peter  II.,  whose  re- 
mains are  interred  at  Moscow.  These  sarcophagi 
are  quite  simple,  composed  of  white  marble  tablets 
raised  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the  floor,  with 
barely  a  slight  relief  of  gilded  ornamentation.  At  the 
time  of  our  visit  they  were  covered  with  an  abundance 
of  fresh  flowers  and  wreaths  of  immortelles.  Peter 
and  Paul  is  a  fortress  as  well  as  a  church ;  that  is  to 
say,  it  stands  within  a  fortress  defended  by  a  hundred 
guns  and  garrisoned  by  between  two  and  three  thou- 
sand men.  It  is  more  venerable  and  interesting  in  its 
associations  than  the  grander  Cathedral  of  St.  Isaac's, 
while  its  mast-like,  slender  spire,  being  fifty  or  sixty 
feet  higher  than  any  other  pinnacle  in  the  city,  is 
more  conspicuous  as  a  landmark.  The  immediate 
surroundings  constitute  the  nucleus  about  which  the 
founder  of  the  city  first  began  to  rear  his  capital, 
being  an  island  formed  by  the  junction  of  the 
Neva  and  one  of  its  natural  l)ranches,  but  connected 
with  the  main-land  by  bridges.  We  were  told  that 
the  present  Emperor  sometimes  visits  incognito  the 
tombs  of  his  predecessors  here,  where  kneeling  in 
silence  and  alone,  he  seems  to  pray  long  and  fer- 
vently, —  and  that  he  liad  done  so  only  a  few 
days    previous    to    the    timo     of    our    visit.     That 


THE   NEVSKY  MONASTERY.  211 

Alexander  III.  is  actuated  by  devout  religious  con- 
victions, of  which  he  makes  no  parade,  is  a  fact  well 
known  to  those  habitually  near  his  person,  and  tliat 
he  seeks  for  higher  guidance  than  can  be  expected 
from  mortal  counsellors  is  abundantly  proven.  It 
was  in  the  prison  portion  of  this  fortress  that  the 
Czarowitz  Alexis,  the  only  son  of  Peter  the  Great 
that  lived  to  manhood,  died  under  the  knout  while 
being  punished  for  insubordination  and  open  opposi- 
tion to  his  father's  reforms.  What  fearful  tragedies 
are  written  in  lines  of  blood  upon  every  page  of  Rus- 
sian history !  Peter's  granddaughter,  the  Princess 
Tarakanof,  was  also  drowned  in  the  Fortress  of  Peter 
and  Paul  by  an  overflow  of  the  Neva  while  confined 
in  one  of  the  dreary  subterranean  dungeons.  About 
the  pillars  and  upon  the  walls  inside  the  cathedral 
hang  the  captured  battle-flags  of  many  nations, — 
Turkish,  Persian,  Swedish,  French,  and  Prussian,  be- 
sides the  surrendered  keys  of  several  European  capi- 
tals, including  Paris,  Dresden,  Hamburg,  Leipsic,  and 
others.  The  National  Mint  of  Russia  is  within  this 
fortress-prison  and  cathedral  combined. 

A  brief  visit  to  the  Monastery  of  St.  Alexander 
Nevsky  was  productive  of  more  than  ordinary  interest, 
and  it  chanced  to  be  at  an  hour  when  the  singing  was 
especially  impressive  and  beautiful,  being  conducted, 
as  is  always  the  case  in  the  Greek  Church,  by  a  male 
choir.  As  already  intimated,  this  institution  is  situ- 
ated at  the  extremity  of  the  Nevsky  Prospect,  about 
three  miles  from  the  heart  of  the  city,  occui)ying  a 


212  DUE  NORTH. 

large  space  enclosed  by  walls  within  which  are  fine 
gardens,  thrifty  groves,  churches,  ecclesiastical  acade- 
mies, dwelling-houses  for  the  priests,  and  the  like. 
The  main  church  is  that  of  the  Trinity,  which  is  ap- 
propriately adorned  with  some  fine  paintings,  among 
which  one  by  Rubens  was  conspicuous.  Hither  the 
Emperor  comes  at  least  once  during  the  year  to  attend 
the  service  of  Mass  in  public.  This  monastery  was 
founded  by  Peter  the  Great  in  honor  of  Alexander 
surnamed  Nevsky,  who  vanquished  the  Swedes  and 
Livonians,  but  who  in  turn  succumbed  to  the  Tartar 
Khans.  This  brave  soldier,  however,  was  canonized 
by  the  Russian  Church.  His  tomb,  we  were  told, 
weighs  nearly  four  thousand  pounds,  and  is  of  solid 
silver.  Close  beside  his  last  resting-place  hang  the 
surrendered  keys  of  Adrianople.  The  treasury  of  this 
monastery  contains  pearls  and  precious  stones  of  a 
value  which  we  hesitate  to  name  in  figures,  though 
both  our  eyes  and  ears  bore  witness  to  the  aggregate 
as  exhibited  to  us.  The  value  of  the  pearls  is  said  to 
be  only  exceeded  as  a  collection  by  that  in  the  Troi- 
tea  Monastery,  near  the  city  of  Moscow.  We  were 
here  shown  the  bed  upon  which  Peter  the  Great 
died,  across  which  lay  his  threadbare  dressing-gown 
and  night-cap.  In  the  crypt,  among  the  tombs,  is 
one  which  bears  a  singular  inscription,  as  follows: 
"  Here  lies  Souvarof,  celebrated  for  his  victories,  epi- 
grams, and  practical  jokes."  This  brave  and  eccen- 
tric soldier  made  the  Russian  name  famous  on  many  a 
severely  contested  battlefield.     He  was  also  quite  as 


MOXKS   OF   THE  RUSSIAN   CHURCH.        213 

noted  for  his  biting  epigrams  as  for  his  victorious 
warfare.  He  lies  buried  here  in  the  Alexander 
Nevsky  Monastery,  as  this  peculiar  inscription  indi- 
cates ;  and  the  curious  stranger  is  quite  as  eager  in 
seeking  his  tomb  as  that  of  the  canonized  soldier 
whose  name  the  institution  bears.  This  monastery 
is  the  coveted  place  of  burial  to  the  soldier,  states- 
man, and  poet.  In  the  cemetery  attached  there  is 
seen  a  white  marble  column  raised  to  the  cherished 
memory  of  Lomonosof,  called  the  father  of  Russian 
[)oetry,  who  was  born  a  serf,  but  whose  native  genius 
won  him  national  renown.  He  was  made  Councillor 
•of  State  in  1764. 

The  monks  who  inhabit  this  and  all  other  Russian 
monasteries  are  of  the  one  Order  of  St.  Basil.  They 
wear  a  black  pelisse  extending  to  the  feet  and  broad- 
brimmed  dark  hats,  permitting  their  hair  and  beards 
to  grow  quite  long.  They  pretend  never  to  eat  meat, 
their  ordinary  food  consisting  of  fish,  milk,  eggs,  and 
butter ;  but  on  fast  days  they  are  allowed  to  eat  only 
fruit  or  vegetables.  They  take  vows  of  chastity,  to 
which  they  are  doubtless  as  recreant  as  the  Roman 
Catholic  priests  of  Italy  and  elsewhere.  The  Govern- 
ment gives  to  each  member  of  the  Order  an  annuity  of 
forty  roubles  per  annum,  which  forms  their  only  fixed 
income  ;  and  consequently  they  must  depend  largely  on 
the  liberality  of  their  congregations  and  the  fees  for  at- 
tendance upon  funerals,  marriages,  and  christenings. 
The  priesthood  is  divided  into  two  classes,  —  the  par- 
ish })riests,  called  the  white  clergy ;  and  the  monks,  who 


214  DUE  NORTH. 

are  called  the  black  clergy  ;  but  the  latter  are  compara- 
tively circumscribed  in  number.  We  have  seen  that  dis- 
senters are  as  common  in  Russia  as  in  other  countries ; 
religious  intolerance  apparently  does  not  exist. 

In  returning  from  the  monastery,  the  whole  length 
of  the  Nevsky  Prospect  was  passed  on  foot.  It  was 
a  warm  summer  afternoon  of  just  such  temperature 
as  to  invite  the  citizens  who  remained  in  town  for  a 
stroll  abroad,  and  there  was  a  world  of  people  crowd- 
ing the  sidewalks  of  this  metropolitan  road-way.  The 
brilliant  Russian  signs  in  broad  gilt  letters  —  so  very 
like  the  Greek  alphabet  —  which  line  the  street,  must 
often  be  renewed  to  present  so  fresh  an  appearance. 
It  is  a  thoroughfare  of  alternating  shops,  palaces, 
and  churches,  the  most  frequented  and  the  most  ani- 
mated in  the  great  city  of  the  Neva.  Four  canals 
cross  but  do  not  intercept  this  boulevard,  named  suc- 
cessively the  Moika,  the  Catherine,  the  Ligawa,  and 
the  Fontanka.  These  water-ways,  lined  throughout 
by  substantial  granite  quays,  are  gay  with  the  life 
imparted  to  them  by  pleasure  and  freight  boats  con- 
stantly furrowing  their  surface.  In  our  early  morn- 
ing walks,  pausing  for  a  moment  on  the  street  bridges, 
large  barges  were  seen  containing  forests  of  cut-wood 
loaded  fifteen  feet  high  above  their  wide  decks,  deliv- 
ering all  along  the  banks  of  the  canals  the  winter's 
important  supply  of  fuel.  Others,  with  their  hulls 
quite  hidden  from  sight,  appeared  like  immense  float- 
ing hay-stacks  moving  mysteriously  to  their  destina- 
tion with  horse-fodder  for  the  city  stables.     Barges 


ST.  PETERSBURG  IMPERIAL  LIBRARY.     215 

containing  fruit,  berries,  and  vegetable  produce  were 
numerous,  and  these  were  often  followed  by  flower- 
boats  propelled  with  oars  by  women  and  filled  with 
gay  colors,  bound  to  the  market  square.  The  canals 
seemed  as  busy  as  the  streets  they  intersected.  From 
one  o'clock  to  five  in  the  afternoon  the  Nevsky  Pros- 
pect, with  the  tide  of  humanity  pouring  either  way 
through  its  broad  space,  was  like  the  Rue  Rivoli  or 
the  Rue  Vivienne  Paris  on  a  fete  day. 

The  Imperial  Library  of  St,  Petersburg  is  justly 
entitled  to  more  than  a  mere  mention,  for  it  is  one  of 
the  richest  collections  of  books  in  all  Europe,  both  in 
(piality  and  quantity.  The  number  of  bound  volumes 
aggregates  a  little  over  one  million,  while  it  is  espe- 
cially rich  in  the  rarest  and  most  interesting  manu- 
scripts. In  a  room  specially  devoted  to  the  purpose 
there  is  a  collection  of  incunabula,  or  books  printed 
previous  to  the  year  1500,  which  is  considered  unique. 
The  noble  building  exclusively  appropriated  to  this 
purpose  has  several  times  been  enlarged  to  meet  the 
demand  for  room  to  store  and  classify  the  accumulat- 
ing treasures.  So  late  as  1862  there  was  added  a 
magnificent  reading-room,  quite  as  spacious  and  well 
appointed  as  that  of  the  British  ^luseum  at  London. 
One  division  of  the  manuscript  department  relates 
particularly  to  the  history  of  France,  consisting  of  the 
letters  of  various  kings  of  that  country,  and  those  of 
Uieir  ambassadors  at  foreign  courts,  with  many  se- 
cret State  documents  and  a  great  variety  of  histori- 
cal State  papers.     These  interesting  documents  were 


216  DUE  NORTH. 

dragged  from  the  archives  of  Paris  by  the  crazed  mob 
during  the  French  Revolution,  and  sold  to  the  first 
bidder.  They  were  bought  by  Peter  Dubrowski,  and 
thus  found  their  way  into  this  royal  collection. 
Some  of  the  Latin  manuscripts  of  the  fifth  century, 
nearly  fourteen  hundred  years  old  are  still  perfectly 
preserved,  and  are  of  gi'eat  interest  to  antiquarians. 
The  stranger  visiting  St.  Petersburg  will  be  sure  to 
return  again  and  again  to  this  treasure-house,  whose 
intrinsic  riches  surpass  all  the  gems  of  the  Winter 
Palace  and  those  of  the  Hermitage,  marvellous  as 
their  aggregate  value  is  when  measured  by  a  criterion 
of  gold. 

The  Alexander  Theatre  and  the  Imperial  Public 
Library  both  look  down  upon  a  broad  square  which 
contains  an  admirable  statue  of  Catherine  II.  in 
bronze.  This  fine  composition  seemed  to  us  to  be 
the  boldest  and  truest  example  of  recorded  history, 
breathing  the  very  spirit  of  the  profligate  and  cruel 
original,  whose  ambitious  plans  were  even  paramount 
to  her  enslaving  passions.  History  is  compelled  to 
admit  her  exalted  capacity,  while  it  causes  us  to  blush 
for  her  infamy.  This  square  opens  on  the  right  side  of 
the  Xevsky  Prospect,  and  is  the  spot  where  the  Count- 
ess Lapuschkin  received  her  terrible  punishment  for 
having  spoken  lightly  of  the  amours  of  the  Empress 
Elizabeth.  The  Countess  is  represented  to  have  been 
as  lovely  in  person  as  in  mind,  the  very  idol  of  the 
court,  and  surrounded  by  admirers  to  the  last  moment. 
She  struggled  bravely  with  her  fate,  mounting  the 


RELIGIOUS   DEVOTION  OF   THE  PEOPLE.     217 

scaffold  ill  an  elegant  undress  which  heightened  the 
effect  of  her  delicate  charms  ;  and  when  one  of  the  ex- 
ecutioners pulled  off  a  shawl  which  covered  her  bosom, 
her  modesty  was  so  shocked  that  she  turned,  pale  and 
burst  into  tears.  Her  clothes  were  soon  stripped  to 
her  waist,  and  before  the  startled  eyes  of  an  immense 
concourse  of  people  she  was  whipped  until  not  one 
inch  of  the  skin  was  left  upon  her  back,  from  the 
neck  downward.  The  poor  lady  of  course  became 
inscnsil)lc  before  this  was  entirely  accomplished.  But 
her  inhuman  punishment  did  not  end  here.  Her 
tongue  was  cut  out,  and  she  was  banished  to  Siberia ! 
The  people  of  no  city  in  Europe  exhibit  so  much 
apparent  religious  devotion  as  do  the  inhabitants  of 
this  ^[uscovite  capital ;  and  yet  we  do  not  for  a  mo- 
ment suj)pose  that  they  are  more  deeply  influenced  in 
their  inner  lives  by  sacred  convictions  than  are  other 
races.  The  humblest  artisan,  the  drosky  driver,  the 
man  of  business,  the  women  and  children,  all  bow 
low  and  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  when  passing 
the  churches,  chapels,  or  any  of  the  many  religious 
shrines  upon  the  streets.  No  matter  how  often  these 
are  encountered,  or  in  how  much  of  a  hurry  the  pass- 
ers may  be,  each  one  receives  its  due  recognition  of 
devout  humility.  In  the  churches  the  people,  men 
and  women,  not  only  kneel,  but  they  bow  their  bodies 
until  the  forehead  touches  the  marble  floor,  repeating 
this  again  and  again  during  each  service.  It  was  ob- 
served that  children,  seemingly  far  too  young  to  un- 
derstand the  purport  of  these  signs  of  humility,  were 


218  DUE  NORTH. 

nevertheless  sure  to  go  through  with  them  precisely 
like  their  elders.  As  regards  the  multiplicity  of 
shrines,  they  are  frequently  set  up  in  the  private 
houses  of  the  common  people,  consisting  of  a  picture 
of  some  saint  gaudily  framed  and  set  in  gilt,  before 
which  a  lamp  is  kept  constantly  burning.  Some  of  the 
shops  also  exhibit  one  of  these  shrines,  before  which 
the  customer  on  entering  always  takes  off  his  hat, 
bows  low,  and  makes  the  sign  of  the  cross.  A  custom 
almost  precisely  similar  was  observed  by  the  author 
as  often  occurring  at  Hong  Kong,  Canton,  and  other 
parts  of  China,  where  images  in  private  houses  abound, 
and  before  which  there  was  kept  constantly  burning 
highly-flavored  pastilles  as  incense,  permeating  the 
very  streets  witli  a  constant  odor  of  musk,  mingled 
with  fragrant  spices. 

St.  Petersburg  is  the  fifth  city  in  point  of  population 
in  Europe,  but  its  very  existence  seemed  to  us  to  be 
constantly  threatened  on  account  of  its  low  situation 
between  two  enormous  bodies  of  water.  A  westerly 
gale  and  high  tide  in  the  Gulf  of  Finland  occurring 
at  the  time  of  the  annual  breaking  up  of  the  ice  in 
the  Neva,  would  surely  submerge  this  beautiful  capital 
and  cause  an  enormous  loss  of  human  life.  The  Neva, 
which  comes  sweeping  with  such  resistless  force 
swiftly  through  the  city,  is  fed  by  that  vast  body  of 
water  Lake  Ladoga,  covering  an  area  of  over  six 
thousand  square  miles  at  a  level  of  about  sixty  feet 
above  the  sea.  In  1880  the  waters  rose  between  ten 
and   eleven   feet  above   the   ordinary   level,   driving 


MOUTALITY   OF   ST.  PETERSBURG.  210 

jicoplc  from  their  basements  and  cellars,  as  well  as 
from  the  villas  and  humbler  dwellings  of  the  lower 
islands  below  the  city.  However,  St.  Petersburg  has 
existed  for  one  hundred  and  eighty  years,  and  it  may 
last  as  much  longer,  though  it  is  not  a  city  of  Nature's 
building,  so  to  speak.  It  is  not  a  healthy  city  ;  indeed 
the  death  rate  is  higher  than  that  of  any  other  Euro- 
pean capital.  The  deaths  largely  exceed  the  births, 
as  m  Madrid  ;  and  it  is  only  by  immigration  that  the 
population  of  either  the  Spanish  or  the  Russian  cai)ital 
is  kept  up.  Young  men  from  the  rural  districts  come 
to  St.  Petersburg  to  better  their  fortunes,  and  all  the 
various  nationalities  of  the  empire  contribute  annually 
to  swell  its  fixed  population.  In  the  hotels  and  res- 
taurants many  Tartar  youth  are  found,  being  easily 
distinguished  by  their  dark  eyes  and  hair,  as  well  as 
by  their  diminutive  stature,  contrasting  with  the  blond 
complexion  and  stout  build  of  the  native  Slav.  Pref- 
erence is  given  to  these  Tartars  in  situations  such  as 
we  have  named  because  of  their  temperate  habits, 
which  they  manage  to  adhere  to  even  when  sur- 
rounded by  a  people  so  generally  given  to  intoxica- 
tion. Among  the  mercantile  class  there  is  a  large 
share  of  Germans,  whose  numl)crs  are  being  yearly 
increased  ;  and  we  must  also  add  to  these  local  shop- 
keepers, especially  of  fancy  goods,  a  liberal  sprinkling 
of  French  nationality,  against  whom  popular  prejudice 
has  subsided. 

"What  the  Gotha  Canal  is  to  Sweden,  the  Neva  and 
its  joining  water-ways  arc  to  Russia.     Through  Lake 


220  DUE  NORTH. 

Ladoga  and  its  extensive  ramifications  of  connect- 
ing waters  it  opens  communication  with  an  almost 
unlimited  region  of  inland  territory,  while  its  mouth 
receives  the  commerce  of  the  world.  The  Lake  sys- 
tem of  Russia  presents  a  very  similar  feature  to  that 
of  the  northern  United  States,  though  on  a  miniature 
scale.  They  are  mostly  found  close  to  one  another, 
intersected  by  rivers  and  canals,  and  bear  the  names 
of  Ladoga,  Onega,  Peipous,  Saima,  Bieloe,  llmen,  and 
Pskov,  —  the  first  named  being  by  far  the  largest,  and 
containing  many  islands.  The  two  important  lakes 
of  Konevetz  and  Valaam  have  two  famous  mountains, 
whose  stream-falls  and  cascades  are  swallowed  up 
in  their  capacious  basins.  The  sea-fish  and  the  beds 
of  shell  found  in  Lake  Ladoga  show  that  it  must  once 
have  been  a  gulf  of  the  Baltic.  Vessels  of  heavy  bur- 
den have  heretofore  been  obliged  to  transfer  their 
cargoes  at  Cronstadt,  as  there  was  not  sufficient  depth 
of  water  in  the  Neva  to  float  them  to  the  capital ;  but 
a  well  constructed  channel  has  just  been  completed, 
and  vessels  drawing  twenty-two  feet  of  water  can  now 
ascend  the  river  to  St.  Petersburg.  Since  the  perfec- 
tion of  this  ship-canal  another  marine  enterprise  of 
importance  has  been  resolved  upon  ;  namely,  a  large 
open  dock  is  being  prepared  by  deepening  the  shallow 
water  near  the  city,  covering  an  area  of  twenty  acres 
more  or  less,  in  order  that  the  merchant  shipping 
heretofore  anchoring  within  the  docks  of  Cronstadt 
may  find  safe  quarters  for  mooring,  loading,  and  un- 
loading contiguous  to  the  city.     The  spacious  docks 


THE  RIVER   NEVA.  221 

thenceforth  at  the  mouth  of  the  Neva  will  be  devoted 
witli  all  their  marine  and  mechanical  facilities  to  the 
accommodation  of  the  rapidly  growing  Russian  navy. 
The  Neva  is  no  ordinary  river,  though  its  whole 
length  is  but  about  thirty-six  miles.  It  supplies  the 
city  with  drinking  water  of  the  purest  description,  and 
is  thus  in  this  respect  alone  invaluable,  as  there  are 
no  springs  to  be  reached  in  the  low  marshy  district 
upon  which  the  metropolis  stands,  resting  upon  a 
forest  of  piles.  The  river  forms  a  number  of  canals 
which  intersect  the  town  in  various  directions,  drain- 
ing away  all  impurities,  as  well  as  making  of  the  city 
a  series  of  closely-connected  islands.  In  short,  the 
Neva  is  to  this  Russian  Venice  in  importance  what 
the  Nile  is  to  the  Egyptians,  though  effective  in  a 
different  manner.  The  entire  course  of  the  river  from 
its  entrance  to  its  exit  from  the  city  is  a  trifle  over 
twelve  miles,  lined  the  whole  distance  by  substantial 
stone  embankments,  finished  with  granite  pavements, 
parapets,  and  broad  stone  steps  leading  at  convenient 
intervals  from  the  street  to  the  water's  edge,  where 
little  steam-gondolas  are  always  in  readiness  to  con- 
vey one  to  any  desired  section  of  the  town.  Many 
officials  and  rich  private  families  have  their  own 
boats,  propelled  by  from  two  to  eight  oarsmen.  On 
Sundays  especially  a  small  fleet  of  boats  is  to  be  seen 
upon  the  river,  which  is  almost  a  mile  in  width  oppo- 
site the  Winter  Palace,  where  the  shores  are  united 
by  a  long  bridge  of  boats,  the  depth  in  mid  channel 
^eing  over  fifty  feet.     The  main  branch  of  the  Neva 


222  DUE  NORTH. 

divides  the  city  into  two  great  sections,  whicli  are  con- 
nected by  four  bridges.  The  principal  of  these  is  the 
Nicholas  Bridge,  a  superb  piece  of  marine  architecture 
which  was  fifteen  years  in  the  process  of  building, 
having  been  begun  by  the  Emperor  in  1843  and  fin- 
ished in  1858.  It  crosses  the  river  on  eight  colossal 
iron  arches  resting  on  mammoth  piers  of  granite. 
By  patient  engineering  skill  the  difficulties  of  a  shift- 
ing bottom,  great  depth,  and  a  swift  current  were 
finally  overcome,  giving  lasting  fame  to  the  successful 
architect,  Stanislas  Herbedze.  The  Nicholas  is  the 
only  permanent  bridge,  the  others  being  floating 
structures  supported  by  pontoons,  or  boats,  which 
are  placed  at  suitable  distances  to  accommodate  the 
demands  of  business.  Notwithstanding  the  populous 
character  of  the  city,  the  avenues  and  squares  have  a 
rather  deserted  aspect  in  many  sections,  but  this  is 
mainly  owing  to  their  extraordinary  size.  A  march- 
ing regiment  on  the  Nevsky  Prospect  seems  to  be 
scarcely  more  in  number  than  does  a  single  company 
in  most  European  thoroughfares.  We  may  mention, 
by  the  way,  that  the  garrison  of  St.  Petersburg  never 
embraces  less  than  about  sixty  thousand  troops  of 
all  arms,  quite  sufficient  to  produce  an  ever-present 
military  aspect,  as  they  are  kept  upon  what  is  called 
a  war-footing.  In  the  event  of  a  sudden  declaration 
of  war  this  garrison  is  designed  as  a  nucleus  for  an 
efficient  army. 

The   winter   season,  which  sets  in  about  the  first 
of  November,   changes  the  aspect  of  everything  in 


TEMPERATUliE   AND   VENTILATION.       223 

tlie  Russian  capital,  and  lasts  until  the  end  of  A})!'!!, 
when  the  ice  generally  breaks  up.  In  the  mean  time 
the  Neva  freezes  to  a  depth  of  six  feet.  But  keen  as  is 
the  winter  cold  the  Russians  do  not  suffer  much  from 
it,  being  universally  clad  in  skins  and  furs.  Even  the 
l)easant  class  necessarily  wear  warm  sheep-skins,  or 
they  would  be  liable  often  to  freeze  to  death  on  the 
briefest  exposure.  In  the  public  squares  and  open 
]jlaces  before  the  theatres  large  fires  in  iron  enclo- 
sures are  lighted  and  tended  by  the  police  at  night, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  drosky  drivers  and  others  neces- 
sarily exposed  in  the  open  air.  The  windows  of  the 
dwelling-houses  are  all  arranged  with  double  sashes, 
and  each  entrance  to  the  house  is  constructed  with  a 
double  passage.  So  also  on  the  railroad  cars,  which 
are  then  by  means  of  large  stoves  rendered  compara- 
tively comfortable.  Ventilation  is  but  little  regarded 
in  winter.  The  frosty  air  is  so  keen  that  it  is  excluded 
at  all  cost.  The  nicely  spun  theories  as  to  the  fatal 
poison  derived  from  twice-breathed  air  are  unheeded 
here,  nor  do  the  people  seem  to  be  any  the  worse  for 
disregarding  them.  The  animal  food  brought  to 
market  from  the  country  is  of  course  frozen  hard  as 
stone,  and  will  keep  sweet  for  months  in  this  condi- 
tion, having  finally  to  be  cut  up  for  use  by  means  of 
a  saw  or  axe ;  no  knife  could  sever  it.  But  in  spite 
of  its  chilling  physical  properties,  the  winter  is  the 
season  of  gayety  and  merriment  in  this  peculiar  capi- 
tal. With  the  first  snow,  wheels  are  cheerfully  dis- 
carded, and   swift-gliding   sleighs   take   the  })lacc  of 


224  DUE  NORTH. 

the  uncomfortable  droskies ;  the  merry  bells  jingle 
night  and  day  a  ceaseless  tune ;  the  world  is  robed  in 
bridal  white,  and  life  is  at  its  gayest.  Balls,  theatres, 
concerts,  court  fetes,  are  conducted  upon  a  scale  of 
magnificence  unknown  in  Paris,  London,  or  Vienna. 
Pleasure  and  reckless  amusement  seem  to  be  the  only 
end  and  aim  of  life  among  the  wealthier  classes,— 
the  nobility  as  they  are  called,  — who  hesitate  at  noth- 
ing to  effect  the  object  of  present  enjoyment.  Moral- 
ity is  an  unknown  quantity  in  the  general  calculation. 
When  that  Eastern  monarch  offered  a  princely  reward 
to  the  discoverer  of  a  new  pleasure,  he  forgot  to  stip- 
ulate that  it  should  be  blameless. 

If  there  are  poverty  and  wretchedness  existing  here 
it  is  not  obvious  to  the  stranger.  More  or  less  of  a 
secret  character  there  must  be  in  every  large  com- 
munity; but  what  we  would  say  is  that  there  is  no 
street  begging,  and  no  half-starved  women  or  children 
obstruct  the  way  and  challenge  sympathy,  as  in  Lon- 
don or  Naples.  There  is  to  be  sure  a  constant  and  sys- 
tematic begging  just  inside  the  doors  of  the  churches, 
where  one  passes  through  a  line  of  nuns  dressed  in 
black  cloaks  and  peaked  hoods  lined  with  white. 
These  individuals  are  sent  out  from  the  religious 
establishments  to  which  they  belong  to  solicit  alms  for 
a  series  of  years,  until  a  certain  sum  of  money  is  real- 
ized by  each,  which  is  paid  over  to  the  sisterhood,  — 
and  which,  when  the  fixed  sum  is  obtained,  insures 
them  a  provision  for  life.  This  to  the  writer's  mind 
forms  the  very  meanest  system  of  beggary  with  which 


he  has  yet  been  broiit>ht  in  contact.  These  women, 
mostly  quite  youthful,  are  apparently  in  perfect  health 
and  quite  able  to  support  themselves  by  honest  labor, 
like  the  rest  of  their  sisterhood.  As  we  have  inti- 
mated, there  is  no  St.  Giles,  Five  Points,  or  North 
Street  in  St.  Petersburg.  The  wages  paid  for  labor 
are  very  low,  amounting,  as  we  were  told,  to  from 
forty  to  fifty  cents  per  day  in  the  city,  and  a  less  sum 
in  the  country.  The  necessities  of  life  are  not  dear  in 
the  capital,  but  the  price  of  luxuries  is  excessive.  The 
common  people  are  content  with  very  simple  food  and 
a  share  of  steaming  hot  tea.  The  drosky  drivers  are 
hired  by  companies  who  own  the  horses  and  vehicles, 
and  receive  about  eight  dollars  per  month  on  which  to 
support  themselves.  They  pick  up  a  trifle  now  and 
then  from  generous  passengers  in  the  way  of  pour- 
hoire,  and  as  a  class  they  are  the  least  intelligent 
to  be  found  in  the  metropolis.  There  is  a  local  say- 
ing applied  to  one  who  is  deemed  to  be  a  miserable, 
worthless  fellow.  They  say  of  him,  "  He  is  only  fit  to 
drive  a  drosky."  The  Paris,  New  York,  London,  and 
Vienna  cab-drivers  are  cunning  and  audacious,  but 
the  Russian  drosky-driver  is  very  low  in  the  scale  of 
humanity,  so  far  as  brains  are  concerned,  and  does  not 
know  enough  to  be  a  rogue. 

Discontent  among  the  mass  of  tlic  people  does  not 
exist  to  any  material  extent;  those  who  represent 
the  case  to  be  otherwise  are  seriously  mistaken.  It 
is  the  few  scheming,  partially  educated,  idle,  disap- 
pointed, and  useless  members  of  society  who  ferment 


226  DUE  NORTH. 

revolution  and  turmoil  in  Russia,  —  people  who  have 
everything  to  gain  by  public  agitation  and  panic  ; 
men  actuated  by  the  same  spirit  as  those  who  were 
so  lately  condemned  to  death  for  wholesale  murder  in 
our  own  country.  Nine  tenths  and  more  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Russia  are  loyal  to  "  father  the  Tzar,"  —  loyal 
to  his  family  and  dynasty.  Nihilism  is  almost  entirely 
stimulated  from  without.  England  is  more  seriously 
torn  by  internal  dissensions  to-day  than  is  Russia,  and 
the  German  people  have  a  great  deal  more  cause  for 
dissatisfaction  with  their  government  than  have  the 
Russian.  To  hold  up  the  Russian  government  as  being 
immaculate  would  be  gross  folly;  but  for  foreigners 
to  represent  it  to  be  so  abhorrent  as  has  long  been  the 
fashion  to  do,  is  equally  incorrect  and  unjust.  Nihi- 
lism means  tiotJiingness ;  and  never  was  the  purpose 
of  a  mad  revolutionary  combination  more  appropri- 
ately named.  This  murderous  crew  has  been  well  de- 
fined by  an  English  writer,  who  says,  "  The  Nihilists 
are  simply  striving  to  force  upon  an  unwilling  people 
the  fantastic  freedom  of  anarchy."  The  very  name 
which  these  restless  spirits  have  assumed  is  an  argu- 
ment against  them.  Some  have  grown  sensitive  as  to 
having  the  title  of  Nihilists  applied  to  them,  and 
prefer  that  of  Communists  or  Socialists,  which  are 
in  fact  synonymous  names  that  are  already  rendered 
odious  in  Europe  and  America.  When  Elliott,  the 
Corn-law  rhymer  was  asked,  "  What  is  a  Commu- 
nist?" he  answered:  "One  who  has  yearnings  for 
equal  division  of  unequal  earnings.     Idler  or  burglar, 


POPULAR   DEVOTION   TO   THE    TZAR.       227 

he  is  willing  to  fork  out  his  penny  and  pocket  your  shil- 
ling." Socialism  is  the  very  embodiment  of  selfish- 
ness ;  its  aim  is  that  of  legalized  plunder.  Communists, 
Socialists,  Nihilists,  are  one  and  all  disciples  of  de- 
struction. Just  after  the  terrible  explosion  in  the  Win- 
ter Palace,  two  of  the  conspirators  met  in  St.  Isaac's 
Square.  "  Is  all  blown  up  ? "  asked  one  of  the  other. 
"  No,  "  was  the  reply,  "  the  Globe  remains."  "  Then 
let  us  blow  up  the  globe  ! "  added  the  other.  When 
these  vile  conspirators  are  discovered,  as  in  the  case  of 
those  lately  detected  in  an  attempt  to  burn  the  city 
of  Vienna,  they  are  found  to  be  composed  of  escaped 
convicts,  forgers,  and  murderers,  who  naturally  array 
themselves  against  law  and  order.  It  was  not  when 
Russia  was  little  better  than  a  military  despotism 
under  the  Emperor  Nicholas,  that  Nihilism  showed  its 
cloven  foot.  Alexander  II.  w^as  assassinated  in  the 
streets  of  St.  Petersburg  after  the  millions  of  grateful 
serfs  had  been  given  their  liberty,  the  press  granted 
greater  freedom  of  discussion,  tlie  stringent  laws  mit- 
igated, and  when  the  country  was  upon  its  slow  but 
sure  progress  towards  constitutional  government. 
National  freedom  is  not  what  these  anarchists  desire ; 
they  seek  wholesale  destruction.  The  devotion  to  the 
Tzar  evinced  by  the  common  people  is  not  slavish,  or 
the  result  of  fear ;  it  is  more  of  childlike  veneration. 
Whatever  the  Emperor  commands  must  be  done ;  no 
one  may  question  it.  The  same  respect  exists  for  the 
property  of  the  Tzar.  No  collector  of  government 
taxes  fears  for  his  charge  in  travelling  through  the 


228  DUE  NORTH. 

least  settled  districts.  The  money  he  carries  belongs 
to  the  Tzar  and  is  sacred ;  no  peasant  would  touch 
it.  The  Tzar  is  the  father  of  his  people,  commanding 
parental  obedience  and  respect.  The  author  believes 
this  sentiment  to  be  largely  reciprocal,  and  that  the 
monarch  has  sincerely  the  best  good  of  the  people  at 
heart. 

A  fresh  scandal  has  lately  been  started  in  the  col- 
umns of  the  European  press,  notably  in  the  English 
and  German  papers, —  that  the  Tzar  is  addicted  to 
gross  intemperance,  and  may  at  any  time  in  a  mo- 
ment of  excess  plunge  headlong  into  a  foreign  war. 
Of  course  no  casual  visitor  to  Russia  can  offer  com- 
petent evidence  to  the  contrary  ;  but  it  was  our  privi- 
lege to  see  Alexander  III.  on  several  occasions,  and  at 
different  periods  of  the  day,  being  each  time  strongly 
impressed  with  a  very  different  estimate  of  his  habits. 
The  Emperor  presents  no  aspect  of  excess  of  any  sort, 
but  on  the  contrary  appears  like  one  conscious  of  his 
great  responsibility  and  actuated  by  a  calm  conscien- 
tious resolve  to  fulfil  its  requirements.  "  What  King 
so  strong  can  tie  the  gall  up  in  the  slanderous  tongue  ?" 
asks  Shakspeare. 

Our  remarks  as  to  the  honesty  of  the  peasantry  in 
all  matters  relating  to  the  Tzar  must  not  be  taken  as 
indicating  the  honesty  of  the  Russian  masses  gener- 
ally, as  regards  strangers  and  one  another,  especially 
those  of  the  large  cities  and  the  habitues  of  the  great 
fairs.  There  arc  no  more  adroit  thieves  in  Christen- 
dom than  tlioso  of  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow.    Some 


INTEMPERANCE  IN  RUSSIA.  229 

of  the  anecdotes  relating  to  these  gentry  seem  al- 
most incredible  for  boldness,  adroitness,  and  success. 
There  is  a  familiar  proverb  here  which  says,  "  The 
common  Russian  may  be  stupid,  but  he  would  only 
make  one  mouthful  of  the  Devil  himself ! " 

Intemperance  is  the  great  bane  of  the  lower  classes, 
and  the  aggregate  quantity  of  spirit  consumed  by  the 
people  is  almost  beyond  belief,  though  St.  Petersburg 
is  not  to  be  compared  with  Moscow  in  this  very  objec- 
tionable respect.  The  chief  means  of  intoxication  is 
the  drinking  of  Yodka,  brandy  made  from  grain.  The 
drunken  Russian  however  is  not  as  a  rule  quarrelsome, 
he  only  becomes  more  lovingly  demonstrative  and  fool- 
ish. A  ludicrous  though  sad  evidence  of  this  peculi- 
arity was  o))served  in  front  of  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre. 
A  well-dressed  and  intelligent  appearing  citizen  paused 
opposite  the  principal  entrance,  took  off  his  hat,  and 
quietly  but  tenderly  apostrophized  it,  smoothing  the 
crown  affectionately,  which  he  petted  and  kissed. 
It  was  then  replaced  properly  upon  his  head,  and  the 
wearer  passed  on  to  the  next  corner,  where  his  cha- 
peau  was  again  made  the  recipient  of  his  fond  caresses 
and  gentle  assurances,  ending  as  before  with  a  devoted 
kiss.  This  process  was  repeated  several  times  as  he 
passed  along  the  big  square  of  St.  Isaac's  totally  indif- 
ferent to  all  observers.  Singular  to  say,  this  behavior 
was  the  only  manifest  evidence  of  the  individual's  ine- 
briety ;  but  the  truth  is,  our  Muscovite  was  very  drunk. 

Nearly  every  nationality  of  Europe  and  many  of 
Asia  are  represented  on  the  business  streets  of  St. 


230  DUE  NORTH. 

Petersburg,  —  Persians,  English,  Arabs,  Greeks,  Cir- 
cassians, and  so  on,  each  more  or  less  strongly  individ- 
ualized. The  close  observer  is  not  long  in  discovering 
that  the  northern  being  the  sunny  side  of  the  streets 
radiating  from  the  Admiralty,  on  that  side  are  to  be 
found  the  finest  shops.  The  summer  days  are  long ; 
twilight  is  not  a  period  between  light  and  darkness, 
but  between  light  and  light.  The  street  lamps  are 
nearly  useless  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Friday  is 
the  sacred  day  of  the  Moslem,  the  turbaned  Turk,  and 
the  black-bearded  Persian ;  Saturday  the  Jews  appear 
in  holiday  attire  (though  they  are  not  in  favor  here), 
Sunday  being  appropriated  by  the  professed  Christian. 
Nowhere  else  is  there  such  an  array  of  white  palatial 
residences,  such  an  airy  metropolitan  aspect,  such 
grand  and  costly  statues  of  bronze,  such  broad  and 
endless  boulevards.  The  English  Quay  is  a  favorite 
promenade  and  drive ;  it  is  surrounded  by  the  grand 
residences  of  wealthy  Russians,  who  live  on  a  scale  of 
splendor  and  expense  equal  to  petty  sovereigns.  A 
marked  feature  in  the  windows,  balconies,  and  en- 
trances of  these  dwellings  w^as  the  long,  wavy,  green 
leaves  of  tropical  plants,  which  must  require  a  world 
of  care  to  insure  their  healthful  existence  in  this  cli- 
mate. Handsome  four-in-hand  vehicles  dash  through 
the  fashionable  streets,  and  though  one  sees  both  sexes 
in  public,  there  seems  to  be  a  half-Oriental  exclusive- 
ness  surrounding  womanhood  in  the  realm  of  the  Tzar. 
Glare  and  glitter  arc  manifest  on  all  sides,  but  the 
domestic  virtues  are  little  cultivated  in  any  class  of 


GAMBLING.     FINE   HORSES.  231 

society,  marriage  being  scarcely  more  than  a  matter 
of  form,  hardly  ever  one  of  sentiment.  As  in  France 
and  at  Continental  courts  generally,  intrigue  and  sen- 
suality prevail  in  those  very  places  to  which  the 
common  people  look  for  their  example.  Gaming  is  a 
l)rcvailing  vice  among  the  women,  if  we  may  credit 
what  we  were  told  and  judge  from  what  little  we  saw. 
As  to  gentlemen,  they  have  practised  that  vice  almost 
from  boyhood ;  it  is  the  universal  habit  of  Russian 
youth.  But  to  all  such  general  remarks  there  are 
noble  exceptions,  and  if  these  are  rare  they  are  all  the 
more  appreciable. 

We  were  speaking  of  the  English  Quay,  which  re- 
calls the  beauty  and  spirited  action  of  the  Russian 
liorses.  Xo  stranger  will  fail  to  notice  them.  Tlie 
author  has  seen  animals  more  beautiful  in  form 
among  the  Moors ;  but  taken  as  a  whole  the  horses 
of  St.  Petersburg,  whether  we  select  them  from  those 
kept  for  private  use,  or  from  the  cavalry  of  the  army, 
or  the  artillery  attached  to  the  garrison,  are  the 
finest  equine  specimens  to  be  seen  anywhere.  The 
dash  of  Tartar  blood  in  their  veins  gives  them  all 
the  vigor,  spirit,  and  endurance  that  can  be  desired. 
The  five  islands  of  the  city  separated  by  the  arms  of 
the  Xevka  and  Neva,  are  named  the  "  Garden  Islands," 
which  form  the  pleasure-drive  of  the  town.  They  have 
quite  a  country  aspect,  and  are  a  series  of  parks  in 
fact,  where  the  fine  roads  wind  through  shady  woods, 
cross  green  meadows,  and  skirt  transparent  lakes. 
Here   every  variety  of  villa  and  clullet  is  seen   em- 


232  DUE  NORTH. 

bowercd  in  attractive  verdure,  where  one  is  sure  in 
the  after  part  of  the  day  to  meet  the  best  equipages 
of  the  citizens,  occupied  by  merry  family  parties. 

The  city  of  the  Neva  is  the  most  spacious  capital 
ever  built  by  the  hand  of  man,  and  one  cannot  but 
feel  that  many  of  its  grand  squares  presided  over  by 
some  famous  monument  are  yet  dismally  empty.  The 
millions  of  the  Paris  populace  could  find  space  suffi- 
cient here  without  enlarging  the  present  area.  As  we 
look  upon  it  to-day,  it  probably  bears  little  resemblance 
to  the  city  left  by  the  great  Peter  its  founder,  except 
in  its  grand  plan ;  and  yet  it  extends  so  little  way  into 
the  past  as  to  have  comparatively  no  root  in  history. 
The  magnificent  granite  quays,  the  gorgeous  palaces, 
the  costly  churches  and  monuments  do  not  date  pre- 
vious to  the  reign  of  Catherine  II.  The  choice  of  the 
locality  and  the  building  of  the  capital  upon  it,  is  nat- 
urally a  wonder  to  those  who  have  not  thought  care- 
fully about  it,  since  it  seems  to  have  been  contrary  to 
all  reason,  and  to  have  been  steadily  pursued  in  the 
face  of  difficulties  which  would  have  discouraged  and 
defeated  most  similar  enterprises.  Ten  thousand 
lives  were  sacrificed  among  the  laborers  annually 
while  the  work  was  going  on,  owing  to  its  unhealthy 
nature ;  but  still  the  autocratic  designer  held  to  his 
purpose,  until  finally  a  respectable  but  not  unobjec- 
tionable foundation  may  be  said  to  have  been  achieved 
upon  this  Finland  marsh.  Yet  there  are  those  who 
reason  that  all  was  foreseen  by  the  energetic  founder ; 
that  he   had  a  grand  and   definite  object  in  view  of 


ST.   ISAAC'S   CATHEDRAL.  233 

which  he  never  lost  sight ;  and  moreover  that  the 
object  which  he  aimed  at  has  been  fully  attained.  The 
city  is  necessarily  isolated,  the  environs  being  nearly 
nnavailable  for  habitations,  indeed  incapable  of  being 
much  improved  for  any  desirable  purpose.  Like  Ma- 
drid, it  derives  its  importance  from  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
capital,  —  not  from  its  location,  though  it  has  a  mari- 
time relation  which  the  Spanish  metropolis  cannot 
boast.  The  great  interest  of  the  city  to  the  author  was 
its  brief  but  almost  magical  history,  and  the  genius  of 
him  who  founded  it,  of  whom  Motley  said  that  he  was 
the  only  monarch  who  ever  descended  from  a  throne 
to  fit  himself  properly  to  ascend  it.  In  population 
and  its  number  of  houses  St.  Petersburg  is  exceeded 
by  several  European  cities  ;  but  its  area  is  immense. 

St.  Isaac's  Cathedral  was  begun  in  1819  and  com- 
pleted in  1858,  being  undoubtedly  the  finest  structure 
of  its  class  in  Northern  Europe.  So  far  as  its  architec- 
ture is  concerned,  its  audacious  simplicity  amounts  to 
originality.  It  stands  upon  the  great  square  known 
as  Isaac's  Place,  where  a  Christian  church  formerly 
stood  as  early  as  the  time  of  Peter.  Its  name  is 
derived  from  a  saint  of  the  Greek  liturgy,  —  St.  Isaac 
the  Delmatian,  —  and  is  altogether  distinct  from  the 
patriarch  of  that  name  in  the  Old  Testament.  As  the 
Milan  Cathedral  represents  a  whole  quarry  of  marble, 
this  church  may  be  said  to  be  a  mountain  of  granite 
and  bronze.  Nor  is  it  surprising  that  it  occupied  forty 
years  in  the  process  of  building ;  its  completion  was 
only  a  question  of  necessary  time,  never  one  of  pecun- 


234  DUE  NORTH. 

iary  means.  Whatever  is  undertaken  in  this  coiuitry 
is  carried  to  its  end,  regardless  of  the  cost.  The 
golden  cross  on  the  dome  is  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  feet  from  the  ground,  the  form  of  the  structure 
being  that  of  a  Greek  cross  with  four  equal  sides,  sur- 
mounted by  a  central  dome,  which  is  covered  with 
copper  overlaid  with  gold.  Two  hundred  pounds  of 
the  precious  metal,  we  were  told,  were  required  to 
complete  the  operation.  The  dome  is  supported  by 
a  tiara  of  polished  granite  pillars.  Each  of  the  four 
grand  entrances,  which  have  superb  peristyles,  is 
reached  by  a  broad  flight  of  granite  steps.  The  four 
porches  are  supported  by  magnificent  granite  columns 
sixty  feet  in  height,  with  Corinthian  capitals  in  bronze, 
these  monoliths  each  measuring  seven  feet  in  diameter. 
The  entire  architectural  effect,  as  already  intimated, 
is  one  of  grandeur  and  simplicity  combined ;  but 
the  impressive  aspect  of  the  interior,  when  the  lamps 
and  tapers  are  all  lighted,  is  something  so  solemn  as 
to  be  quite  beyond  description,  —  illumination  being  a 
marked  feature  in  the  Greek,  as  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  No  interment,  baptism,  or  betrothal  takes 
place  in  Russia  without  these  tiny  flames  indicative 
of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  thus  it  is 
that  the  humblest  cabin  of  the  peasant  or  city  labor- 
er supi)orts  one  ever-burning  lamp  before  some  hal- 
lowed and  saintly  picture.  Instrumental  music  is  not 
permitted  in  the  Greek  Church,  but  the  human  voice 
forms  generally  the  most  effective  portion  of  the  ser- 
vice ;  and  of  course  the  choir  of  St.  Isaac's  is  remark- 


CHURCH  BELLS.  235 

able  for  its  excellence.  Some  idea  of  the  cost  of  this 
cathedral  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  to  establish  a 
suitable  foundation  alone  cost  over  a  million  roubles ; 
and  yet  at  this  writing  a  hundred  skilled  workmen  arc 
endeavoring  to  secure  the  heavy  walls  so  as  to  stop 
the  gradual  sinking  which  is  taking  place  at  three  of 
the  corners !  It  is  feared  that  these  walls  before  many 
years  will  have  to  come  down  all  together,  and  a  fresh 
and  more  secure  foundation  created  by  the  driving  of 
another  forest  of  piles.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  St. 
Isaac's  may  be  indefinitely  preserved  in  all  its  purity 
of  design  and  splendor  of  material ;  and  with  its  foun. 
dation  established  this  may  reasonably  be  expected. 
Architecture  has  been  called  the  printing  press  of  all 
time,  from  the  period  of  the  Druids  to  our  own  day. 
Future  generations  will  perhaps  read  in  this  noble 
edifice  a  volume  of  history  relating  to  the  state  of  so- 
ciety, the  degree  of  culture  existing,  and  the  iron  des- 
potism which  entered  into  its  construction. 

Russia  has  always  been  famous  for  its  church  bells. 
That  of  St.  Isaac's,  the  principal  one  of  the  city, 
weighs  over  fifty-three  thousand  pounds  and  gives 
forth  sounds  the  most  sonorous  we  have  ever  chanced 
to  hear.  These  great  Russian  bells  are  not  rung  by 
swinging;  a  rope  is  attached  to  the  clapper,  or  tongue, 
and  the  operator  rings  the  bell  by  this  means.  Our 
hotel  was  on  Isaac's  Place,  and  our  sleeping  apartment 
nearly  under  the  shadow  of  the  lofty  dome  of  the 
church.  It  seemed  as  though  the  bell  was  never  per- 
mitted to  rest,  —  it  was  tolling  and  ringing  so  inccs- 


236  DUE   NORTH. 

santly,  being  especially  addicted  to  breaking  forth  at 
the  unseemly  hours  of  four,  five,  and  six  o'clock  a.  m. 
Of  course  sleep  to  one  not  accustomed  to  it  was  out  of 
the  question,  while  fifty-three  thousand  pounds  of  bell- 
metal  were  being  so  hammered  upon.  It  was  not 
content  to  give  voice  sufficient  for  a  signal  to  the  spe- 
cially devout,  but  its  outbursts  assumed  chronic  form, 
and  having  got  started  it  kept  it  up  for  the  half-hour 
together,  causing  the  atmosphere  to  vibrate  and  the 
window  sashes  to  tremble  with  thrills  of  discomfort. 
Sometimes  it  would  partially  subside  in  its  angry  clam- 
or, and  one  hoped  it  was  about  to  become  quiet,  when 
it  would  suddenly  burst  forth  again  with  renewed 
vigor,  and  with,  as  we  fancied,  a  touch  of  maliciousness 
added.  Then,  —  then  we  did  not  ask  that  blessings 
might  be  showered  upon  that  bell,  but  —  well,  we  got 
up,  dressed,  and  took  a  soothing  walk  along  the  banks 
of  the  swiftly  flowing  river ! 

On  the  right  of  Isaac's  Place  as  one  looks  towards 
the  Neva  is  the  spacious  Admiralty,  reaching  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  to  the  square  of  the  Winter  Palace.  On 
the  left  is  the  grand  and  effective  structure  of  the 
Senate  House.  Immediately  in  front  of  the  cathe- 
dral, between  it  and  the  river,  surrounded  by  a  beau- 
tiful garden,  stands  the  famous  equestrian  statue  of 
Peter  the  Great  in  bronze.  The  horse  is  seventeen 
feet  high,  and  the  rider  is  eleven.  Horse  and  rider 
rest  upon  a  single  bl9ck  of  granite  weighing  fifteen 
hundred  tons,  which  was  brought  here  from  Finland 
at  great  cost  and  infinite  labor.     The  effect  of  this 


PUBLIC  STATUES.  237 

group  struck  us  as  being  rather  incongruous  and  far 
from  artistic  ;  but  it  is  only  fair  to  add  tliat  many  able 
judges  pronounce  it  to  be  among  the  grandest  exam- 
ples of  modern  sculpture.  Falconet,  the  French  artist, 
executed  the  work  at  the  command  of  Catherine  II. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  cathedral  is  the  more 
modern  equestrian  statue  and  group  reared  in  mem- 
ory of  the  Emperor  Nicholas,  one  of  the  most  elabo- 
rate, costly,  and  artistic  compositions  in  bronze  extant. 
At  each  corner  of  the  profusely-embossed  pedestal 
stands  a  figure  of  life  size,  moulded  after  busts  of 
the  Empress  and  her  three  daughters.  We  had  not 
chanced  to  know  of  this  work  of  art  before  we  came 
full  upon  it  on  the  morning  following  our  arrival  in 
the  city  ;  but  certainly  it  is  the  most  remarkable  and 
the  most  superb  monument  in  St.  Petersburg.  Well 
was  the  man  it  commemorates  called  the  Iron  Em- 
peror, both  on  account  of  his  great  strength  of  body 
and  of  will.  His  was  a  despotism  which  permitted 
no  vent  for  public  opinion,  and  which  for  thirty  years 
kept  an  entire  nation  bound  and  controlled  by  his  sin- 
gle will.  It  was  the  misfortunes  which  befell  Russia 
through  the  Crimean  war  that  finally  broke  his  proud 
self-reliance.  He  died,  it  is  said,  of  a  broken  heart  on 
the  2d  of  March,  1855. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  St.  Isaac's  Cathedral, 
let  us  refer  to  its  interior,  which  is  very  beautiful, 
and  to  us  seemed  in  far  better  taste  than  the  gaudy 
though  costly  embellishments  of  the  Spanish  and 
Itahau  churches.     The  Greek   religion   banishes  all 


238  DUE  NORTH. 

statues,  while  it  admits  of  paintings  in  the  churches, 
as  also  any  amount  of  chasing,  carving,  and  gilding. 
The  various  columns  of  malachite  and  lapis-lazuli,  to- 
gether with  the  abundant  mosaic  and  bronze  work, 
are  characterized  by  exquisite  finish.  The  many  life- 
size  portraits  of  the  disciples  and  saints  in  the  former 
material  present  an  infinite  artistic  detail.  The  small 
circular  temple  which  forms  the  inmost  shrine  was 
the  costly  gift  of  Prince  Demidof,  who  is  the  owner 
of  the  malachite  mines  of  Siberia.  The  steps  are  of 
porphyry,  the  floor  of  variegated  marble,  the  dome  of 
malachite,  and  the  walls  of  lapis-lazuli,  —  the  whole  be- 
ing magnificently  gilded.  The  intrinsic  value  of  this 
unequalled  shrine  is  estimated  at  a  million  dollars. 
Many  others  of  the  superb  decorations  of  the  interior 
are  the  gifts  of  wealthy  citizens  of  St.  Petersburg. 
The  numerous  battle-trophies  which  enter  into  the 
decoration  of  the  interior  of  this  cathedral  seemed  to 
us  a  little  incongruous,  though  quite  common  in  this 
country,  and  indeed  in  other  parts  of  Europe.  The 
banners  of  England,  France,  Turkey,  and  Germany 
are  mingled  together,  telling  the  story  of  Russia's 
struggles  upon  the  battlefield  and  of  her  victories. 
The  keys  of  captured  fortresses  are  also  seen  hanging 
in  clusters  upon  the  walls,  flanked  here  and  there  by 
a  silver  lamp  burning  dimly  before  some  pictured 
saint.  The  cost  of  constructing  and  furnishing  St. 
Isaac's  was  over  fifteen  million  dollars. 

All  art  decorations  and  objects  of  virtu  which  one 
finds  in  Russia  seem  to  partake  of  other  and  various 


LACK   OF  ORIGINALITY  IN  ART.  239 

nationalities,  a  fact  wliicli  is  perhaps  easily  accounted 
for.  The  Empire  is  located  between  the  East  and  the 
West,  and  has  derived  her  tastes  and  art  productions 
from  both,  as  the  influence  of  Asia  and  Europe  are 
mingled  everywhere.  Assyria,  China,  India,  Greece, 
Byzantium,  France,  and  England,  all  contribute  both 
artists  and  materials  to  adoi-n  the  Russian  palaces, 
churches,  and  public  buildings.  The  more  practical 
Americans  first  built  her  railroads  and  first  estab- 
lished her  now  famous  machine-shops.  Of  originality 
there  is  very  little ;  all  is  borrowed,  as  it  were.  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  Russian  art  pure  and  simple ;  and 
yet  over  the  broad  territory  which  forms  the  dominion 
of  the  Tzar,  we  know  there  have  been  in  the  past  cen- 
turies large,  self-dependent  communities,  who  must 
have  been  more  or  less  skilled  in  the  various  arts,  but 
of  whom  we  know  only  what  may  be  gathered  from 
half-obliterated  ruins  of  temples  and  of  tombs.  The 
obscurity  which  envelops  the  early  periods  of  Rus- 
sian history  is  well  known  to  be  more  impenetrable 
than  that  of  nearly  any  other  civilized  region  of  the 
globe.  If  there  can  be  said  to  be  a  Russian  style  of 
architecture,  it  is  a  conglomerate,  in  which  the  Byzan- 
tine predominates,  brought  hither  from  Constantino[)le 
with  Christianity. 

St.  Petersburg  is  not  without  its  triumphal  arches. 
Two  very  noble  and  elaborate  structures  of  this  charac- 
ter connect  the  city  with  its  most  important  territo- 
ries, —  the  one  on  the  road  to  Xarva,  the  other  on  that 
leading  to   Moscow.     The   first   named  is  specially 


240  DUE   NORTH. 

noticeable,  and  was  built  to  commemorate  the  victo- 
rious return  of  the  Russian  troops  in  1815.  The  arch 
is  supported  by  lofty  metal  columns,  and  surmounted 
by  a  triumphal  car  drawn  by  six  bronze  horses,  which 
have  never  made  a  journey  abroad  like  those  in  the 
piazza  of  St.  Mark.  In  the  car  is  a  colossal  figure  of 
Victory  crowned  with  a  laurel  wreath  and  holding- 
emblems  of  war. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  "Winter  Palace.  —  The  Hermitage  and  its  Riches.  —  An  Empress 
and  lier  Fancies.  —  A  Eoyal  Retreat.  —  Russian  Culture.  —  Public 
Library.  • —  The  Summer  Garden.  —  Temperature  of  the  City.  — 
Choosing  of  the  Brides.  —  Peter's  Cottage.  —  Champ  de  Mars. 
—  Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  —  School  of  Mines.  —  Precious  Stones.  — 
The  Imperial  Home  at  Peterhoff.  —  Curious  and  Interesting  Build- 
ings.—  Catherine's  Oak. — Alexander  III.  at  Parade.  —  Descrip- 
tion of  the  Eoyal  Family.  —  Horse- Racing.  —  The  Empress's 
Companions. 

Only  Rome  and  Constantinople  contain  so  many- 
imperial  residences  as  docs  St.  Petersburg,  within 
whose  borders  we  recall  twelve.  Some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  the  size  of  the  Winter  Palace,  from  the  fact 
that  Avhen  in  regular  occupancy  it  accommodates  six 
thousand  persons  connected  with  the  royal  household. 
With  the  exception  of  the  Vatican  and  that  at  Ver- 
sailles, it  is  the  largest  habitable  palace  in  the  world, 
and  is  made  up  of  suites  of  splendid  apartments,  cor- 
ridors, reception  saloons,  banqueting  rooms,  galleries, 
and  halls.  Among  them  is  the  Throne  Room  of  Peter 
the  Great,  the  Empress's  Rcccption-Room,  the  Grand 
Drawing-Room,  Hall  of  St.  George,  the  Ambassadors' 
Hall,  the  Empress's  Boudoir,  and  so  on.  The  gem  of 
them  all,  however,  is  the  Salle  Blanche,  so  called 
because  the  decorations  arc  all  in  white  and  gold,  by 
which  an  almost  aerial  lightness  and  fascination  of 
16 


2-12  DUE  NORTH. 

effect  is  produced.  It  is  iu  this  apartment  that  the 
court  fetes  take  place  ;  and  it  may  safely  be  said  that 
no  royal  entertainments  in  Europe  quite  equal  those 
given  within  the  walls  of  the  Winter  Palace.  One 
becomes  almost  dazed  by  the  glare  of  gilt  and  bronze, 
the  number  of  columns  of  polished  marble  and  por- 
phyry, the  gorgeous  hangings,  the  carpets,  mosaics, 
mirrors,  and  candelabra.  Many  of  the  painted  ceil- 
ings are  wonderfully  perfect  in  design  and  execution ; 
while  choice  works  of  art  are  so  abundant  on  all 
hands  as  to  be  confusing.  The  famous  Banqueting 
Hall  measures  two  hundred  feet  in  length  by  one  hun- 
dred in  breadth.  As  we  came  forth  from  the  grand 
entrance  upon  the  square,  it  was  natural  to  turn  and 
scan  the  magnificent  facade  as  a  whole,  and  to  remem- 
ber that  from  the  gates  of  this  palace  Catherine  II. 
emerged  on  horseback,  with  a  drawn  sword  in  her 
hand,  to  put  herself  at  the  head  of  her  army. 

The  Hermitage,  of  which  the  world  has  read  and 
heard  so  much,  is  a  spacious  building  adjoining  the 
Winter  Palace,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  cov- 
ered gallery,  and  is  of  itself  five  hundred  feet  long. 
It  is  not,  as  its  name  might  indicate,  a  solitude,  but  a 
grand  and  elaborate  palace  in  itself,  built  by  Cathe- 
rine II.  for  a  picture-gallery,  a  museum,  and  a  resort 
of  pleasure.  It  contains  to-day  one  of  the  largest 
as  well  as  the  most  precious  collections  of  paintings 
in  the  world,  not  excepting  those  of  Rome,  Florence, 
or  Paris.  The  catalogue  shows  twenty  originals  by 
Murillo,  six  by  Velasquez,  sixty  by  Rubens,  thirty- 


THE  HERMITAGE  AND  ITS  RICHES.       243 

tlii'cc  by  Vandyke,  forty  by  Tcniers,  the  same  number 
l»y  Rembrandt,  six  by  Raphael,  and  many  by  other 
famous  masters.  The  Spanish  collection,  so  desig- 
nated, was  sold  to  the  Russian  Government  by  the 
late  King  of  Holland.  The  more  modern  French  and 
Dutch  schools  are  also  well  represented  in  this  collec- 
tion, particularly  the  latter.  Among  the  many  pieces 
of  antique  sculpture  in  the  halls  devoted  to  statuary, 
is  the  remarkable  Venus  known  as  the  Venus  of  the 
Hermitage,  found  at  Castle  Gandolfo,  and  which  is  fa- 
vorably compared  by  professional  critics  to  the  Venus 
di  Medici.  The  series  of  Greek  and  Etruscan  vases, 
with  many  superb  examples  of  malachite  from  Sibe- 
ria (over  one  thousand  in  all),  are  quite  unequalled 
elsewhere,  and  embrace  the  famous  vase  of  CunifB 
from  the  Campana  collection,  as  well  as  the  silver 
vase  of  Nicopol  and  the  golden  vase  of  Kertch.  The 
treasury  of  gems  exhibited  to  the  visitor  is  believed 
to  be  the  finest  and  most  valuable  collection  in  the 
world.  It  includes  the  well-known  Orlof  diamond, 
whose  history  is  as  interesting  as  that  of  the  Kohi- 
noor  (Mountain  of  Light),  now  in  the  English  Royal 
Treasury,  and  which  it  exceeds  in  weight  by  a  little 
over  eight  carats.  This  brilliant  stone  was  bought 
by  Count  Orlof  for  the  Empress  Catherine  of  Russia, 
and  is  considered  to  have  an  intrinsic  value  of  about 
eight  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  intimate  rela- 
tion of  Russia  with  Persia  and  India  in  the  past  has 
made  her  the  recipient  of  vast  treasures  in  gems ; 
wliile  of  late  years  the  mines  of  the  Urals,  within 


244  DUE  NORTH. 

her  own  territory,  have  proved  an  exhaustless  For- 
tunatus's  purse.  The  interior  of  the  Hermitage  is 
decorated  with  Oriental  kixuriance  tempered  by  West- 
ern refinement.  The  gilding  is  brilliant,  the  frescos 
elaborate  to  the  last  degree,  and  the  masses  of  am- 
ber, lapis-lazuli,  gold,  silver,  and  precious  gems  are  a 
never-ending  surprise.  Here  are  also  preserved  the 
private  libraries  that  once  belonged  to  Zimmermann, 
Voltaire,  and  Diderot,  besides  those  of  several  other 
men  of  letters.  There  is  a  Royal  Theatre  under  the 
same  roof,  where  plays  used  to  be  performed  by  ama- 
teurs from  the  court  circles  for  the  gratification  of 
the  Empress  Catherine,  the  text  of  which  was  not 
infrequently  written  by  herself. 

The  Empress  indulged  her  royal  fancy  to  its  full 
bent  in  the  use  she  made  of  the  Hermitage.  On  the 
roof  was  created  a  marvellous  garden  planted  with 
choicest  flowers,  shrubs,  and  even  trees  of  consid- 
erable size.  This  conservatory  was  heated  in  winter 
by  subterranean  fires,  and  sheltered  by  glass  from 
the  changeable  weather  at  all  times.  At  night  these 
gardens  were  illumined  by  fancy-colored  lamps  ;  and 
report  says  that  in  the  artificial  groves  and  beneath 
the  screen  of  tropical  plants  scenes  not  quite  decorous 
in  a  royal  household  were  often  enacted.  The  will 
of  the  Empress  was  law ;  no  one  might  question  the 
propriety  of  her  conduct.  Famous  men  from  far  and 
near  became  her  guests,  musicians  displayed  their 
special  talents,  and  various  celebrities  their  wit. 
With  all  her  recklessness,  dissipation,  and  indelicacy, 


SOME   ROYAL   PALACES.  245 

Catherine  II.  was  a  woman  of  c-reat  intellectual  power 
and  of  keen  insight,  possessing  remarkable  business 
capacity.  Well  has  she  been  called  the  Semiramis  of 
the  North.  One  evidence  of  her  practical  character 
was  evinced  by  her  promotion  of  emigration  from 
foreign  countries.  By  liberal  gratuities  transmitted 
through  her  diplomatic  agents  in  Western  Europe, 
she  induced  artisans  and  farmers  to  remove  to  her 
domain,  and  placing  these  people  in  well-selected  cen- 
tres did  much  towards  civilizing  the  semi-barbarous 
hordes  over  whom  she  ruled.  The  visitor  to  the 
Academy  of  Arts  at  St.  Petersburg  will  not  fail  to 
regard  with  interest  a  fine  original  portrait  of  the 
Empress,  representing  a  woman  of  commanding  pres- 
ence, with  a  large  handsome  figure,  big  gray  eyes, 
and  blooming  complexion. 

Among  other  royal  residences  the  Marble  Palace 
erected  by  Catherine  for  Prince  Gregory  Orlof  stands 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  Hermitage  eastward. 
The  Castle  of  St.  Michael  situated  near  the  Fontanka 
Canal  was  built  by  the  Emperor  Paul ;  and  here  he 
met  his  sanguinary  death.  This  structure  is  magnifi- 
cently decorated.  Close  at  hand  on  the  canal  is  the 
modern  ^Michael  Palace,  before  which  Alexander  II. 
fell  shattered  by  a  Nihilist  bomb  on  the  13th  day  of 
March,  1881.  Fortnnately  it  also  killed  the  miserable 
assassin  who  threw  it.  The  Taurida  Palace  presented 
by  Catherine  to  her  favorite  Potemkin  is  still  a  won- 
der of  elegance,  and  is  considered  an  object  of  much 
interest  to  strangers,  to  whom  it  is  frfioly  shown  at 


246  DUE  NORTH. 

the  expense  of  the  usual  gratuities,  though  it  is  now 
occupied  by  an  humble  branch  of  the  imperial  family. 
The  ball-room  is  of  enormous  proportions :  here  the 
musicians  were  originally  suspended  in  the  chande- 
liers !  When  this  gorgeous  apartment  was  fully  pre- 
pared for  a  public  entertainment,  it  required  twenty 
thousand  candles  to  light  it  properly.  The  Amirtchkoff 
Palace  situated  on  the  Nevsky  Prospect  is  a  favorite 
town  residence  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  III.  To 
the  newly  arrived  visitor  it  would  seem  that  one  half 
the  town  belongs  to  the  Crown,  and  consists  of  public 
offices,  military  schools,  charitable  institutions  and 
palaces.  In  the  immediate  environs  of  the  city,  with- 
in an  extensive  grove,  is  located  what  is  called  Cathe- 
rine's House,  being  little  more  than  a  cottage  in  a 
small  forest.  It  is  a  low  wooden  building  two  stories 
in  height,  and  was  shown  to  us  as  containing  the 
same  furniture  and  belongings  that  surrounded  the 
Empress,  who  often  retired  here  as  a  secluded  spot 
where  to  indulge  in  her  erratic  revels.  The  ceilings  of 
the  apartments  are  so  low  that  one  can  easily  reach, 
them  with  the  hands  when  standing  upright.  There 
are  exhibited  some  pictures  upon  secret  panels  set 
in  the  walls,  which  are  of  a  character  corroborative 
of  the  lewd  nature  attributed  to  Catherine  II.  The 
situation  of  the  cottage  is  really  lovely,  suiTounded 
by  woods,  lakes,  and  gardens.  The  rooms  contain  a 
number  of  souvenirs  of  the  Great  Peter,  manufactured 
by  his  own  hands,  and  who  must  certainly  have  been 
one  of  the  most  industrious  of  mortals.     One  of  these 


ILLITKHACY  IN  RL'SSIA.  247 

original  productions  was  especially  interesting-,  being 
a  large  map  some  five  or  six  feet  square,  drawn  and 
colored  upon  coarse  canvas,  and  representing  his  do- 
minions in  considerable  detail.  This  map  though 
somewhat  crude  in  execution  w^as  yet  an  evidence  of 
Peter's  versatile  skill  and  tireless  industry,  modern 
survey  having  in  many  respects  corroborated  what 
must  have  been  originally  only  conjecture  drawn  from 
the  scantiest  sources  of  information. 

In  passing  the  Imperial  Public  Library  already 
mentioned,  one  could  not  but  feel  that  its  vast  re- 
sources of  knowledge  must  not  be  considered  as  typi- 
fying the  general  intelligence  of  the  mass  of  the 
Russian  people.  That  must,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  be 
])laced  at  a  low  estimate.  The  difference  between 
Scandinavia  and  Russia  in  this  respect  is  very  marked 
and  entirely  in  favor  of  the  former.  A  large  majority 
of  the  common  people  of  St.  Petersburg  cannot  read 
or  write,  while  eight  out  of  ten  persons  in  Norway  and 
Sweden  can  do  both  creditably.  So  can  nearly  the 
same  ratio  of  the  inhabitants  of  Canton  and  Pekin.  It 
is  not  surprising  that  a  people  having  no  mental  resort 
will  seek  animal  indulgences  more  or  less  disgraceful. 

Let  us  be  careful,  however,  not  to  give  a  wrong  im- 
pression relative  to  this  matter  of  education.  Until 
the  time  of  Alexander  II.  the  village  priests  controlled 
all  schools  in  the  country,  though  often  they  were 
utterly  incompetent  for  teaching.  But  that  liberal 
monarch  changed  this,  and  gave  the  schools  into  the 
hands  of  the  most  capable  individuals,  whether  they 


248  DUE  NORTH. 

were  priests  or  otherwise.  A  manifest  improvement 
has  been  the  consequence.  Thirty  years  ago  there 
were  but  about  three  thousand  primary  schools  in 
all  Russia ;  to-day  there  are  nearly  twenty-four  thou- 
sand. This  increase  has  been  gradual,  but  is  highly 
significant.  Reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  and  geog- 
raphy are  the  branches  which  are  taught  in  these 
schools.  Statistics  show  that  in  1860  only  two  out 
of  one  hundred  of  the  peasants  drafted  into  the  army 
could  read  and  write.  Ten  years  later,  in  1870,  the 
proportion  had  increased  to  eleven  in  a  hundred,  and 
in  1882  it  had  reached  nineteen  in  a  hundred.  Gov- 
ernment organizes  these  village  schools,  and  holds  a 
certain  supervision  over  them,  contributing  a  percent- 
age of  their  cost,  the  balance  being  realized  by  a  small 
tax  upon  the  parents  of  the  children  attending  them. 
Finland  has  an  educational  system  quite  distinct  from 
the  empire,  supporting  by  local  interest  high  schools 
in  all  the  principal  towns,  and  primary  schools  in 
every  village. 

In  St.  Petersljurg  the  common  signs  over  and  be- 
side the  doors  of  the  shops  are  pictorially  illustrated, 
indicating  the  business  within,  these  devices  taking 
the  place  of  lettered  signs,  which  the  common  people 
could  not  read.  Thus  the  butcher,  the  barber,  the 
pastry-cook,  and  the  shoemaker  put  out  symbols  of 
their  trade  of  a  cliaractcr  intelligible  to  the  humblest 
understanding.  At  times  these  signs  are  veiy  curious, 
forming  ludicrous  caricatures  of  the  business  which 
tliev  are  desiti:ned  to  indicate,  so   laughable    indeed 


AUTHORS,   BOOKS,   AND  SCHOOLS.  249 

tliat  one  concludes  tliey  arc  designedly  made  ridicu- 
lous in  order  the  more  readily  to  attract  attention. 
There  is  a  large  population  of  well-educated  native 
and  foreign-born  people  whose  permanent  home  is 
here,  among  whom  a  German  element  is  the  most 
conspicuous.  Nor  is  America  unrepresented.  There 
are  good  Russian  translations  of  most  of  the  standard 
English  and  American  authors,  poets,  and  novelists. 
We  saw  excellent  editions  of  Shakspeare,  Longfellow, 
and  Tennyson-;  also  of  Byron,  INfacaulay,  Scott,  and 
Irving.  This  list  might  be  extended  so  as  to  embrace 
many  other  names.  The  modern  school  of  Russian 
romance  writers  is  not  formed  upon  the  vicious  French 
standard,  but  rather  upon  the  best  English :  not  upon 
that  of  Balzac  and  Dumas,  but  upon  Thackeray 
and  George  Eliot.  Toorgenef,  Gogol,  Pisanski,  and 
Goncharov  are  Russian  names  whose  excellence  in 
literature  have  familiarized  them  to  English  readers. 
There  is  upon  the  bookshelves  of  nearly  every  cul- 
tured family  in  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow  a  trans- 
lation of  Homer  into  Russian,  the  scholarly  work  of 
an  assistant  in  the  Imperial  library  of  St.  Petersburg. 
Competent  persons  have  pronounced  this  to  be  equal  to 
the  best  rendering  which  we  possess  in  the  English 
language.  The  native  Universities  at  Moscow,  Kiev, 
St.  Petersburg,  Kharkov,  Odessa,  Kazan,  and  Warsaw 
are  all  kept  fully  up  to  modern  requirements,  and 
are  all  well  attended. 

The  ^lineralogical  Academy  of  St.  Petersburg  is 
extremelv  interestinir,  where  the  various  riches  of  the 


250  DUE  NORTH. 

Ural  Mountains  are  especially  displayed  in  all  their  nat- 
ural beauty.  Topazes,  rubies,  opals,  garnets,  pearls, 
and  diamonds  are  to  be  seen  here  as  large  and  as  per- 
fect as  the  world  can  produce.  Many  of  these  gems 
are  now  as  delicately  and  scientifically  cut  in  Siberia 
as  at  Amsterdam  or  New  York.  One  golden  nugget 
■was  observed  here  which  weighed  over  eighty  pounds. 
This  remarkable  specimen  of  the  precious  metal  was 
dug  out  of  the  earth  exactly  in  its  present  form  and 
condition.  It  would  seem  that  the  mineral  riches  of 
Russia  rival  those  of  all  the  rest  of  the  world  ;  and 
we  ceased  to  wonder,  after  visiting  tliis  exhibition  of 
native  mineral  products,  at  the  lavish  use  of  gems 
and  the  precious  metals  in  the  palaces  and  churches. 

The  extensive  and  remarkably  beautiful  promenade 
on  the  banks  of  the  Neva  near  the  Trinity  Bridge 
called  the  Summer  Garden  it  would  be  hard  to  equal 
elsewhere.  The  ever  recurring  surprise  is  that  so 
many  acres  of  land  in  the  very  heart  of  a  great  capital 
can  be  spared  for  a  delightful  pleasure-ground.  It  is 
laid  out  witli  long  avenues  of  fine  trees,  interspersed 
with  lovely  blooming  flowers  and  musical  fountains. 
A  grand  specimen  of  the  fuchsia,  developed  into  a 
tree  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  height,  attracted  our  atten- 
tion. It  was  laden  with  its  ever  gracefully  drooping 
flowers  in  dainty  purple,  scarlet,  and  white.  Marble 
statues  are  appropriately  distributed  representing  the 
Seasons,  the  goddess  Flora,  Neptune,  and  others,  re- 
calling the  Pi'ado  at  Madrid,  which  is  similarly  or- 
namented.   There  is  here  also  a  fine  statue  in  memory 


THE    CllOOSlXU    OF    THE   JiliJDES.  251 

of  KrilofT.  the  La  Fontaine  of  Russia.  This  remark- 
able fabulist  died  as  late  as  1844.  In  the  autunni 
these  statues  arc  all  carefully  enclosed  in  boxes,  and 
those  of  the  shrubs  and  trees  which  are  not  housed 
are  also  packed  securely  to  protect  them  from  the 
extreme  severity  of  the  climate.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  although  the  thermometer  rises  here  to  99° 
Fahrenheit  in  summer,  it  also  descends  sometimes  to 
40°  below  zero  in  winter,  —  a  range  not  exceeded  by  the 
temperature  of  any  other  city  in  the  world.  It  would 
seem  as  though  nothing  which  is  exposed  can  with- 
stand this  frosty  climate.  Even  the  granite  monolith 
which  forms  the  shaft  of  the  Alexander  Column  has 
been  seriously  affected  by  it.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  the  heavy  stone-work  which  forms  the  embankment 
bordering  the  Neva  and  the  canals ;  so  that  workmen 
must  rebuild  annually  what  the  frost  destroys. 

In  this  famous  and  popular  Summer  Garden,  on 
Monday  the  second  day  of  Whitsuntide,  a  ceremony 
used  to  take  place  of  which  we  have  all  heard  and 
many  doubted  ;  it  was  called  "  The  Choosing  of  the 
Brides."  Young  girls,  mostly  of  the  middling  class, 
dressed  for  the  occasion  in  their  finest  clothes  and 
ornaments,  came  hither  with  their  mothers  and  were 
marshalled  in  line  upon  the  broad  paths.  In  front 
paraded  the  young  men  accompanied  l)y  their  fathers, 
walking  back  and  forth  and  freely  examining  with  ear- 
nest eyes  the  array  of  blushing  maidens.  If  signs  of 
mutual  attraction  were  exhibited,  the  parents  of  such 


252  DUE  NORTH. 

to  introduce  the  young  people  to  each  other.  This 
often  led  to  an  acquaintance  between  tliose  who  had 
heretofore  been  perfect  strangers,  and,  being  followed 
up,  it  finally  led  to  betrothal  and  marriage.  This  an- 
nual custom  was  looked  upon  with  favor  by  all  the 
common  people,  and  was  continued  until  late  years ; 
but  as  a  recognized  formality  it  has  become  a  thing 
of  the  past.  We  were  told,  however,  that  it  is  still 
indirectly  pursued  by  maidens  appearing  in  the  garden 
on  that  special  day  dressed  in  their  best,  where  they 
arc  sought  by  young  men  who  are  matrimonially  in- 
clined. No  indelicacy  is  thought  to  attach  itself  to 
this  admission  of  purpose  on  the  maiden  s  part,  who 
is  as  of  yore  not  only  incited  but  always  chaperoned 
by  her  mother. 

Near  the  Summer  Garden  is  the  little  log  building 
which  was  occupied  by  Peter  the  Great  while  he  su- 
perintended personally  the  work  he  inaugurated  here, 
and  more  especially  the  important  part  of  laying  the 
foundations  of  the  great  city,  so  far  back  as  1703, — 
to  use  the  words  attributed  to  liim,  while  he  was 
creating  "  a  window  by  which  the  Russians  might 
look  into  civilized  Europe."  It  is  a  rude  affair  built 
of  logs,  the  ceiling  absolutely  too  low  for  a  tall  visitor 
to  stand  under  comfortably.  The  inside  is  lined  with 
leather,  and  the  structure  is  preserved  by  a  substan- 
tial brick  house  erected  over  and  about  it,  within 
which  a  few  of  the  simple  utensils  that  belonged  to 
the  energetic  autocrat  are  also  to  be  seen.  Among 
these  articles  was  a  well  made  and  still  serviceable 


THE   RUSSIAN   CHAMP  DE  MARS.  253 

small-boat  constructed  by  liis  own  hands,  and  in  which 
he  was  accustomed  to  row  himself  about  the  Neva. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Peter  served  an  apprentice- 
ship to  this  trade  in  his  youth.  The  apartment  which 
was  originally  the  workshop  of  the  royal  carpenter 
has  been  transformed  into  a  chapel,  where  the  com- 
mon people  crowd  to  witness  the  daily  service  of  the 
Greek  Church.  Some  of  these  were  seen  to  kiss  the 
venerated  walls,  —  an  act  of  devotion  which  it  was  dif- 
ficult clearly  to  understand.  True,  the  Russians,  like 
the  Japanese  and  early  Scandinavians,  make  saints  of 
their  heroes ;  but  we  believe  they  forgot  to  canonize 
Peter  the  Great. 

Close  at  hand  is  situated  the  spacious  Champ  de 
Mars,  where  the  troops  of  the  garrison  of  all  arms  are 
exercised,  —  a  never-ending  occupation  here,  one  tak- 
ing precedence  of  all  others  in  a  nation  so  thoroughly 
military.  The  Russians  make  the  best  of  soldiers, 
—  obedient,  enduring,  faithful,  and  brave.  It  is  true 
that  there  are  but  few  "thinking  bayonets"  in  the 
rauks  ;  yet  for  the  duty  they  are  trained  to  perform, 
perhaps  such  qualification  is  neither  required  nor 
{)articularly  desirable.  Stories  are  often  told  of  the 
hardship  and  rigid  severity  of  the  Russian  military 
service,  but  many  of  them  are  gross  exaggerations. 
The  knout,  of  which  such  cruel  stories  are  told,  has 
long  been  banished  as  a  punishment  in  the  army  and 
navy.  The  Champ  de  Mars  is  a  square  and  perfect- 
ly level  field  where  twenty  thousand  trooj)S  —  cavalry, 
artillery,  and  infantry  —  can  be  manoeuvred  at  a  time. 


254  DUE  NORTH. 

On  the  border  of  this  parade-ground  stands  a  fine 
bronze  statue  in  memory  of  Marshal  Souvarof,  the 
ablest  Russian  general  of  his  day,  and  who  died  so 
late  as  the  year  1800,  The  figure,  heroic  in  size,  is 
represented  wielding  a  sword  in  the  right  hand  and 
bearing  a  shield  in  the  left. 

On  the  Vassili  Ostrof  stands  the  spacious  Academy 
of  Arts,  the  front  on  the  Neva  measuring  over  four 
hundred  feet  in  length ;  and  though  it  is  adorned  with 
many  columns  and  pilasters,  its  architectural  effect 
is  not  pleasing  to  the  eye.  Its  size,  however,  makes 
it  rather  imposing  as  a  whole.  The  central  portico  is 
surmounted  by  a  graceful  cupola,  upon  which  a  figure 
of  Minerva  is  seated  ;  beneath  are  seen  statues  of 
Flora  and  Hercules.  Two  large  and  quite  remarkable 
granite  sphinxes  brought  from  Egypt  stand  in  front 
of  the  Academy  upon  the  stone  embankment  of  the 
river ;  but  the  broad  business  thoroughfare  between 
them  and  the  building  isolates  these  figures  so  that 
one  would  hardly  think  they  were  in  any  way  con- 
nected with  the  institution.  This  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts  is  just  one  century  old,  having  been  erected  in 
1786  after  a  design  by  a  French  architect.  The  lower 
floor  forms  a  series  of  halls  devoted  to  sculpture,  the 
examples  of  which  are  arranged  chronologically  iu 
various  rooms  beginning  with  the  early  Greek  and 
Roman  schools  and  terminating  with  the  productions 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  In  apartments  over  these 
are  the  galleries  devoted  to  paintings.  One  very  in- 
terestinu'   and  instructive    division  is  that   Avhich  is 


THE   MINING   SCHOOL.  2o5 

devoted  to  drawings  illustrating  the  progress  of  archi- 
tecture. Tills  gallery  also  affords  an  admirable  op- 
portunity for  studying  the  growth  of  what  is  termed 
the  Russian  school  of  painting. 

At  the  western  extremity  of  the  Vassili  Ostrof  is 
located  the  Institution  of  Mines,  or  the  Mining  School, 
which  is  a  resort  of  special  interest  to  strangers,  being 
in  fact  a  technological  college  conducted  by  the  Gov- 
ernment upon  the  most  liberal  principles,  and  designed 
to  fit  its  students  for  becoming  accomplished  mining 
engineers.  It  contains  the  finest  collection  of  mod- 
els and  mineralogical  specimens  we  have  ever  seen 
collected  together,  not  excepting  those  of  the  British 
Museum.  This  institution  will  accommodate  about 
three  hundred  pupils,  and  is  always  improved  to  its 
fullest  educational  capacity.  The  specimens  of  native 
gold  alone  which  are  here  exhibited  have  an  intrinsic 
value  of  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  while  the 
beryls,  tourmalines,  amethysts,  topazes,  and  other 
minerals  from  Siberia  are  unequalled  in  any  other  col- 
lection. The  interested  visitor  cannot  fail  to  receive 
a  correct  impression  of  the  great  mineral  wealth  of 
this  wide-spread  empire,  and  which  will  be  found  to 
exceed  all  previously  conceived  ideas.  A  very  beauti- 
ful rose-colored  rubellite  from  the  Urals  was  observed, 
also  a  green  beryl  valued  at  twentj^-fivc  thousand  dol- 
lars. Specimens  of  the  Alexandrite,  named  after 
Alexander  I.,  are  also  to  be  seen  here  in  beautiful  form 
and  clearness.  A  printed  list  of  the  gems  and  treas- 
ures generally  which  are  gathered  here  would  jirove 


256  DUE  NORTH. 

of  great  interest.  In  the  garden  of  the  institution 
there  is  a  model  of  a  mine,  through  the  winding  pas- 
sages of  which  a  guide  bearing  a  lighted  taper  con- 
ducts tlie  visitor,  while  he  explains  the  Russian  process 
of  mining  in  Siberia  and  the  Urals. 

The  Palace  of  Peterhoff  is  situated  about  sixteen 
miles  from  the  city  of  St.  Petersburg,  on  the  shore  of 
the  Neva  where  the  river  assumes  a  width  of  eight  or 
ten  miles.  It  has  always  been  famous  for  the  mag- 
nificent fetes  given  here  since  the  days  when  it  was 
built  by  the  Great  Peter.  The  main  structure  has  no 
special  merit  in  point  of  architecture,  but  the  location 
and  the  surroundings  are  extremely  beautiful.  From 
the  teri'ace,  the  great  yellow  Palace  being  built  upon  a 
natural  elevation  some  sixty  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  one  gets  a  fine  though  a  distant  view  of  the 
coast  of  Finland,  —  a  portion  of  the  Tzar's  dominion 
■which  alone  exceeds  in  size  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
a  widespread  barren  land  of  lakes  and  granite  rocks, 
but  peopled  by  over  two  millions  of  souls.  The  parks, 
gardens,  fountains,  hothouses,  groves,  flower-beds,  and 
embowered  paths  of  Peterhoff  are  kept  in  the  most 
perfect  order  by  a  small  army  of  household  attendants. 
The  whole  forms  a  resort  of  regal  loveliness  and  of 
endless  sylvan  variety.  The  artificial  water-works, 
cascades,  and  fountains  are  arranged  somewhat  like 
those  of  St.  Cloud,  and  nearly  equal  to  those  of  Ver- 
sailles. In  front  of  the  Palace  is  a  fountain  named 
Samson,  which  throws  water  to  the  height  of  eighty 
feet,  and  is  also  constructed  to  form  various  fountains. 


ROYAL   RESIDENCE   OF  MONTPLAISIR.        257 

It  is  called  Samson  from  the  colossal  bronze  ligurc 
forcing  open  the  jaws  of  a  lion,  and  from  whence 
the  water  rushes  copiously.  The  fountains  are  so 
arranged  that  on  the  occasion  of  holidays  and  grand 
fetes  artificial  lights  can  be  placed  behind  the  liquid 
sheets,  thus  producing  novel  effects  even  more  won- 
derful than  the  golden  waters  of  Parizade.  Here  the 
famous  Peter  used  to  resort,  and  stroll  about  the  gar- 
dens with  his  humble  favorite,  a  Polish  girl,  forgetting 
the  cares  of  State.  This  lowly  companion  besides  great 
personal  beauty  possessed  much  force  of  character, 
and  exercised  great  influence  over  her  melancholic 
and  morose  master.  Many  instances  are  related  of  her 
interference  in  behalf  of  mercy  long  before  her  final 
elevation,  which  showed  a  kind  and  loving  nature. 

There  arc  several  other  royal  residences  in  these 
spacious  grounds.  One  near  the  sea-shore  is  that  of 
ISIontplaisir,  a  long,  low,  one-story  brick  structure 
with  tiled  floors  and  numbers  of  Dutch  pottery  stoves. 
It  is  an  exceedingly  plain  residence  but  still  very 
comfortable,  containing  many  Dutch  pictures  which 
the  Tzar  brought  from  that  country.  Peter  was  very 
much  attached  to  this  comparatively  humble  dwelling, 
and  he  breathed  his  last  in  it.  While  standing  in  tlu^ 
little  chamber  where  he  slept  and  where  he  died,  his 
last  woi-ds  were  recalled :  "  I  believe,  and  I  trust." 
Here  the  Empress  Elizabeth  occasionally  spent  the 
brief  summer  days,  amusing  herself,  as  we  were  told, 
by  cooking  her  own  dinner.  Tiie  low  building  is 
shaded  by  tall  sky-reaching  old  pines,  whose  odor 
17 


258  DUE  NOR'lH. 

pleasantly  permeated  the  air  as  we  wandered  about 
the  grounds  among  the  choice  flowers  and  the  care- 
fully tended  undergrowth,  half  expecting  to  come 
upon  the  Talking  Bird  and  Singing  Tree  of  the  Ara- 
bian fable.  One  or  two  cypress  avenues  in  the  palace 
grounds  are  matchless  in  sylvan  effect,  producing  those 
charming  lines  of  perspective  which  trees  alone  can 
afford.  Here  the  local  guide  pointed  out  an  oak  which 
Catherine  II.  discovered  springing  from  an  acorn,  and 
which  she  protected  and  planted  where  it  now  stands. 
This  little  incident  occurred  on  the  day  before  she  as- 
cended the  throne  ;  but  her  reign  was  long  enough 
for  the  royal  lady  to  see  the  tiny  sprout  grow  into  a 
lofty  and  vigorous  tree. 

There  is  another  small  palace  near  by  Montplaisir 
which  was  built  after  the  English  style  for  the  wife 
of  the  Emperor  Nicholas,  being  called  Znamenska, 
and  it  is  occupied  at  times  by  the  present  Empress. 
The  pictures  in  this  summer  resort  are  all  of  cabinet 
size  and  numerous,  but  not  of  a  very  delicate  or  re- 
fined character ;  how  high-bred  ladies  could  abide  to 
have  them  constantly  in  sight  was  a  surprise  to  the 
author.  The  furniture  is  rococo,  and  almost  too 
delicate  for  domestic  use.  Two  other  small  [lalaces 
at  Pctcrhoff  are  upon  the  islands  Isola  Bella  and 
Isola  INIadre.  These  last  arc  in  the  Italian  style,  and 
as  we  saw  them  that  soft,  sunny  July  afternoon  they 
were  embedded  in  gorgeous  colors,  "  a  snow  of  blos- 
soms and  a  wild  of  flowers."  These  may  be  enjoyed 
by  strang(>rs  who  understand  that  a  golden  key  opens 


THE  PETERllOFF  HERMITAGE.  259 

all  doors  in  Russia.  The  domestic  arrangements  in 
these  minor  palaces  arc  unique  ;  the  bathing  appara- 
tus in  Montplaisir  is  very  curious,  where  the  royal 
personages  come  even  to-day  to  enjoy  steam  baths, 
cold  baths,  and  baths  of  every  conceivable  nature, 
often  submitting  to  a  discij)line  which  one  would 
think  might  try  the  physical  powers  of  an  athlete. 

One  building  which  we  visited  within  the  royal 
grounds  was  a  very  homely  square  structure  of  wood, 
with  a  brick  basement.  The  house  was  surrounded 
by  a  deep  broad  moat  which  could  be  flooded  at  will ; 
the  little  foot-bridge  being  then  raised,  the  spot  was 
completely  isolated.  In  this  building  there  were  but 
two  large  rooms,  one  above  the  other,  the  whole  being 
from  a  design  by  Catherine  11.,  and  was  called  by  her 
the  Peterhoff  Hermitage.  Hither  the  fanciful  Em))ress 
would  retire  to  dine  with  her  ministers  of  State  or 
the  foreign  ambassadors.  The  table  was  so  arranged 
that  the  servants  had  no  occasion  to  enter  the  apart- 
ment where  the  meal  was  partaken  of.  In  front 
of  each  person  sitting  at  table  there  was  a  circular 
opening,  through  which  at  a  signal  the  dishes  could 
descend  upon  a  small  dumb-waiter  to  the  carving  and 
cooking  room  below,  and  fresh  ones  be  raised  in  their 
places.  Thus  any  number  of  courses  could  be  fur- 
nished and  no  servants  be  seen  at  all  ;  nor  was  there 
any  danger  that  State  secrets  could  be  overheard 
or  betrayed  by  the  attendants.  The  whole  machin- 
ery of  this  automatic  table  is  still  operative,  and 
was  put  in  motion  for  our  amusement,  —  dishes  ap- 


260  DUE  NORTH. 

pearing  and  disappearing  as  if  by  magic  at  the  will 
of  the  exhibitor. 

The  author's  visit  to  Peterhoff  occurred  on  a  warm, 
bright  Sabbath  day.  Passage  was  taken  at  the  Eng- 
lish Quay  on  a  steamer  which  plies  regularly  between 
the  two  places.  The  decks  were  thronged  with  well- 
dressed,  well-behaved  citizens,  many  of  whom  had  wife 
and  children  with  them,  to  share  the  pleasure  of  a 
river  excursion.  Our  course  was  straight  down  the 
channel  of  the  Neva ;  but  long  before  the  landing  was 
made,  the  gilded  spires  of  the  royal  chapel  and  some 
other  surrounding  golden  minarets  were  discovered 
blazing  under  the  intense  rays  of  the  sun.  At  pres- 
ent, this  beautiful  retreat  forms  the  summer  residence 
of  the  royal  family.  Lying  half  a  mile  off  the  shore, 
above  and  below  the  landing  at  Peterhoff,  was  a  light- 
draft  naval  steamer,  fully  manned  and  armed,  acting 
as  a  coast-guard.  No  strange  vessel  or  craft  of  even 
the  smallest  dimensions  would  be  permitted  to  pass 
within  the  line  of  these  vessels.  After  driving  through 
the  widespread  royal  gardens,  dotted  with  flower-beds, 
fountains,  and  mirror-like  lakes  shaded  by  a  great 
variety  of  grand  old  trees,  we  finally  came  upon  the 
Champ  de  Mars,  —  and  at  an  opportune  moment,  just 
as  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  with  the  Prince  Impe- 
rial and  his  brother  next  of  age,  came  upon  tlie  ground 
in  an  open  barouche,  to  witness  a  review  of  the  troops 
which  are  stationed  here.  The  Emperor,  dressed 
in  full  uniform,  alighted  at  once,  and  with  military 
promptness,  began  to  issue  his  orders.     As  he  moved 


THE   ROYAL   FAMILY.  261 

here  and  there,  his  tall  commandins^  figure  was  quite 
conspicuous  among  his  attending  suite.  The  Empress, 
wlio  it  will  be  remembered  is  the  daughter  of  the 
King  of  Denmark  and  sister  of  the  Princess  of  Wales, 
retained  her  seat  in  the  vehicle,  looking  very  quiet  and 
composed  ;  but  the  young  princes,  dressed  in  white 
linen  coats  and  caps  of  a  semi-military  character,  kept 
a  little  in  the  rear,  though  close  to  the  Emperor,  as  he 
walked  back  and  forth  directing  the  movements  of 
the  troops.  The  Empress  is  tall  and  stately  in  figure, 
her  fair  and  really  handsome  features  bearing  no  traces 
of  age  or  care.  If  she  has  secret  pangs  to  endure,  — 
common  to  both  the  humble  and  the  exalted,  —  her 
features  record,  like  the  dial-plate  in  the  piazza  of  St. 
Mark,  only  the  sunny  hours.  Her  dark  eyes  lighted 
up  with  animation,  and  a  pleased  smile  hovered  about 
her  lips,  while  the  whole  corps  d'arm^e,  as  with  one 
voice,  greeted  the  Emperor  when  he  alighted,  and  gave 
the  military  salute. 

The  level  parade-field  was  between  thirty  and  forty 
acres  in  extent,  and  the  manoeuvres  evinced  the  per- 
fection of  military  drill.  The  Queen  of  Greece  and 
the  Duchess  of  Edinburgh,  with  some  attendant  ladies 
of  the  court,  were  also  present  in  a  carriage  behind 
that  occupied  by  the  Empress.  The  whole  party,  while 
it  was  of  so  distinguished  a  character,  was  yet  marked 
by  great  simplicity  of  dress  and  quietness  of  manners. 
Nochili,  brother  of  the  late  Emperor  and  uncle  to  the 
present  Tzar,  was  in  the  royal  suite,  wearing  the  full 
uniform  of  an  Admiral  of  the  Russian  navy,  of  which 


262  DUE  NORTH. 

he  is  the  present  efficient  head.  The  Prince  Imperial 
is  a  quiet,  dignified  lad  of  seventeen,  with  features 
hardly  yet  sufficiently  matured  to  express  much  char- 
acter. He  bids  fair  to  be  like  his  parents,  tall  and 
commandhig  in  figure ;  a  pleasant  smile  lighted  up 
his  face  as  he  watched  with  evident  interest  every 
detail  of  the  parade.  His  brother  who  accompanied 
him  is  about  three  years  his  junior,  but  was,  we 
thought,  the  more  dignified  of  the  two.  When  the 
whole  body  of  infantry  passed  the  reviewing  point  at 
the  double-quick,  tlie  admirable  precision  of  the 
movement  elicited  from  the  multitude  of  civilians  un- 
limited applause.  In  the  several  stages  of  the  review 
which  the  Emperor  directed  personally,  he  passed 
freely  close  by  the  lines  of  the  assembled  citizens 
who  were  drawn  hither  from  St.  Petersburg  and  else- 
where ;  also  in  and  among  the  lines  of  soldiery.  He 
was  calm,  cool,  and  collected,  the  expression  upon  his 
features  being  that  of  firmness,  dignity,  and  assured 
power.  The  stories  bruited  about  concerning  his 
hermit-like  seclusion,  caused  by  a  realizing  sense  of 
personal  danger,  are  mostly  exaggerations  of  the 
grossest  character.  They  are  manufactured  and  set 
afloat  by  the  cowardly  revolutionists,  who  strive  in 
many  subtle  ways  to  create  a  false  sentiment  against 
the  Emperor.  Here  in  St.  Petersburg  such  stories  are 
known  to  be  lies,  but  it  is  hoped  that  among  the  hid- 
den nests  of  anarchists  in  other  parts  of  Europe,  and 
even  in  America,  they  may  have  their  effect.  That 
Alexander  III.  is  popular  with  the  masses  of  Russia, 


THE  EMPEROR   AND   EMPRESS.  263 

l)!)tli  civil  and  military,  there  is  no  doubt.  Of  course 
the  avowed  enmity  of  secret  revolutionists  renders  it 
necessary  to  take  the  usual  precautions  against  out- 
rage ;  consequently  guards  and  detectives  are  at  all 
times  on  duty  in  large  numbers,  not  only  at  Peterhoff, 
but  wherever  the  Emperor  and  royal  family  may  hap- 
pen to  be  on  public  occasions.  These  detectives  are 
composed  of  picked  men  devoted  to  their  duty,  chosen 
for  their  known  loyalty,  courage,  and  discretion,  not 
one  of  whom  but  would  lay  down  his  life  if  called  upon 
so  to  do  in  order  to  protect  that  of  the  Emperor.  The 
necessity  for  employing  such  defensive  agents  is  to  be 
deplored  ;  but  it  is  not  confined  to  the  court  of  Russia, 
Germany  and  Austria  adopt  similar  precautions  ;  and 
even  Victoria,  amid  all  the  boasted  loyalty  of  her  sub- 
jects, is  exercised  by  a  timidity  which  leads  to  similar 
precautions  whenever  she  appears  in  public. 

xVfter  the  review  had  taken  place  on  the  occasion 
which  we  have  dcscriljed,  a  slight  change  in  the  ar- 
rangements of  the  grounds  transformed  the  level 
field  into  an  admirable  race-course.  The  Empress  is 
over-fond  of  the  amusement  of  horse-racing,  and  is 
herself  an  excellent  horsewoman,  said  to  have  the  best 
"  seat "  in  the  saddle  of  any  royal  lady  in  Europe,  not 
even  excepting  that  remarkable  equestrienne  the  Em- 
press of  Austria.  She  remained  with  her  lady-com- 
l)anions  and  the  princes  to  witness  the  races,  while 
the  Emperor  witli  his  military  suite  retired  to  the 
Imperial  Palace  half  a  mile  away.  The  ladies  in  the 
Empress's  immediate  company  were  very  refined  in 


264  DUE  NORTH. 

appearance,  possessing  strong  intellectual  faces  and 
much  grace  of  manners ;  but  as  to  personal  beauty 
among  the  Russian  ladies  generally,  one  must  look 
for  it  in  vain,  the  few  vivid  exceptions  only  serving  to 
emphasize  the  rule.  While  the  men  have  fine  regular 
features  and  are  generally  remarkable  for  their  good 
looks,  their  mothers,  sisters,  and  wives  are  apt  to  be 
positively  homely  ;  indeed,  it  has  passed  into  an  axiom 
that  nowhere  are  the  old  women  so  ugly  and  the  old 
men  so  handsome  as  in  this  country. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Alexander  III.  succeeded 
to  the  throne  on  the  assassination  of  his  father,  March 
13,  1881 ;  and  that  he  is  far  more  liberal  and  progres- 
sive than  any  of  his  predecessors  is  universally  admit- 
ted. We  were  told  by  influential  Russians  that  a  con- 
stitutional form  of  government  even  may  be  estab- 
lished under  his  rule,  if  his  life  is  spared  for  a  series 
of  years.  Though  a  true  soldier  and  an  able  one,  he 
has  not  the  ardent  love  for  military  affairs  which  ab- 
sorbed Nicholas  I.  While  he  is  sensitive  to  national 
honor  as  regards  his  relations  with  other  countries, 
his  home  policy  is  eminently  liberal  and  peaceful. 
He  has  ably  seconded  his  father's  efforts  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  judicial  system,  the  mitigation  of 
the  censorship  of  the  press,  the  abolishment  of  cor- 
poral punishment  in  the  army  and  navy,  and  the  im- 
provement of  primary  educational  facilities.  In  such 
a  country  as  Russia,  progress  in  these  directions  must 
be  gradual;  any  over-zealousness  to  promote  great 
reforms  would  defeat  the  object. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Power  of  the  Greek  Church.  —  Freeing  the  Serfs.  —  Education  Needed. 

—  ilamnioth  Russia.  —  Eeligiou  and  Superstition.  —  Memorial 
Structures.  —  Church  Fasts.  —  Theatres  and  Public  Amusements. 

—  Night  Revels.  —  A  Russian  Bazaar.  — Children's  Nurses  in  Cos- 
tume. —  The  one  Vehicle  of  Russia.  —  Dress  of  the  People.  —  Fire 
Brigade.  —Red  Tape.  —  Personal  Surveillance.  —  Passports.  —  An- 
noyances. —  Spying  Upon  Strangers.  —  The  Author's  Experience.  — 
Censorship  of  the  Press. 

It  is  not  alone  her  military  organization,  colossal 
and  complete  as  it  is,  which  forms  the  sole  strength 
of  the  great  Russian  Empire,  embracing  about  one 
seventh  of  the  earth's  surface,  and  covering  an  area 
of  eight  millions  of  square  miles.  There  is  a  power 
behind  the  army  which  is  nearly  as  potent  as  any 
other  element  in  maintaining  the  absolute  sovereignty 
of  the  Emperor,  and  that  is  the  Church  which  recog- 
nizes him  as  its  head ;  and  where  physical  control 
might  prove  inadequate  to  enforce  the  wishes  of  the 
Tzar,  religious  influence,  as  directed  by  the  priest- 
hood, would  undoubtedly  accomplish  as  much  with 
the  masses  of  the  population  as  would  force  of  arms. 
The  clergy  of  the  Greek  Church  are  the  faithful  ser- 
vitors of  absolutism,  and  from  the  nature  of  things 
must  always  be  hearty  supporters  of  the  reigning 
monarch.  It  requires  no  remarkable  insight  for  them 
to   realize  that  their  very  existence  as  a  priesthood 


266  DUE  NORTH. 

depends  upon  the  stability  of  the  Empire.  The  Anar- 
chists, who  entertain  but  one  distinctive  idea,  admit 
of  no  fealty  to  God  or  man,  and  cherish  as  little  re- 
spect for  the  Church  as  for  the  State. 

Alexander  III.  has  probably  at  this  writing  one 
hundred  millions  of  subjects,  embracing  the  most  re- 
markable diversity  of  nationalities  and  races  of  which 
it  is  possible  to  conceive.  Since  March  3,  1861, 
there  have  been  no  serfs  in  the  Empire.  Twenty 
millions  of  human  beings  who  were  slaves  the  day 
before,  on  that  auspicious  date  were  proclaimed  free- 
men. All  honor  to  the  memory  of  him  who  made 
this  bold  and  manly  stride  towards  universal  emanci- 
pation against  the  combined  influence  of  the  entire 
Russian  nobility  !  Whatever  of  political  restlessness 
there  may  be  existing  among  the  upper  classes  of  the 
Tzar's  subjects  is  traceable  in  its  origin  to  tliis  freeing 
of  the  peasantry  of  the  country.  Like  slavery  in  our 
own  Southern  States  serfdom  died  hard,  and  its  sup- 
porters are  not  yet  all  "  reconstructed."  Like  the 
American  negroes,  the  serfs  were  sold  from  master 
to  master  and  treated  like  chattels ;  humanity  was 
not  a  relative  term  between  noble  and  serf.  Masters 
sent  them  to  Siberia  to  work  in  the  mines,  or  to  serve 
in  the  army,  or  exchanged  them  for  cattle  or  mone\-, 
and  often  gambled  them  away  by  the  dozen  in  a  single 
night.  They  made  or  unmade  families  according  to 
the  heartless  caprice  of  the  moment,  and  unliesitat- 
ingly  outraged  every  domestic  tie.  Before  the  abol- 
ishment of  serfdom  tlic  Government  and  the  nobles 


REUaiOS    AND   SUPKltSTITlON.  267 

owned  all  the  laud  in  Russia  ;  but  to-day  the  former 
serfs  own  at  least  one  third  of  the  land  whereon  they 
live  and  which  they  cultivate,  and  for  every  acre  (to 
their  honor  be  it  said)  they  have  paid  a  fair  market 
value,  having  accumulated  the  means  by  industry 
and  rigid  economy.  An  intelligent  native  merchant 
informed  the  author  that  self-respect  seemed  to  have 
been  at  once  implanted  among  the  common  people  by 
the  manifesto  of  March,  1861,  and  that  a  rapid  social 
improvement  has  been  clearly  observable  ever  since. 
The  better  education  of  the  rising  generation  is  what 
is  now  most  required  to  supplement  the  great  act  of 
emancipation ;  and  though  this  is  being  attempted  in 
the  various  districts  to  a  limited  extent  as  we  have 
shown,  still  it  is  but  a  slow  condition  of  progress. 
Not  until  the  Government  takes  the  matter  seriously 
in  hand,  using  its  authority  and  lending  its  liberal 
l)ecuniary  aid,  will  anything  of  importance  be  accom- 
plished in  this  direction. 

The  Tzar's  dominion  embraces  every  phase  of  reli- 
gion and  of  civilization.  Portions  of  the  Empire  are 
as  barbaric  as  Central  Africa;  others  are  semi-civil- 
ized, while  a  large  share  of  the  people  inhabiting  the 
cities  assume  the  highest  outward  appearance  of  re- 
finement and  culture.  This  diversity  of  character 
spreads  over  a  country  extending  from  the  Great 
"Wall  of  China  on  one  side  to  the  borders  of  Germany 
on  the  other ;  from  the  Crimea  in  the  South  to  the 
Polar  Ocean  in  the  far  North.  As  to  the  national  or 
State  religion, — that  of  the  Greek  Church, —  it  seems 


268  DUE  NORTH. 

to  be  based  upon  gross  superstition,  and  is  therefore 
all  the  more  effective  as  a  restraining  principle  from 
evil-doing  among  the  great  mass  of  poor  ignorant 
creatures  who  respect  scarcely  anything  else.  Much 
genuine  piety  is  observable  among  the  Russians,  a 
large  proportion  of  the  educated  people  being  zealous 
church-goers,  strictly  observing  all  the  outward  forms 
of  the  religion  they  profess.  In  the  churches  there 
is  no  distinction  of  person ;  all  are  deemed  equal 
before  the  Almighty  Father.  There  are  no  seats  in 
the  temples  of  worsliip  ;  all  the  congregation  stand 
or  kneel,  and  during  the  services  often  prostrate  them- 
selves upon  the  marble  floor.  The  monks  and  nuns 
conduct  a  thriving  business  in  the  sale  of  sacred  tapers, 
holy  relics,  images,  wedding-rings,  and  also  indulgen- 
ces and  prayers,  as  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
Indeed,  the  resemblance  in  the  forms  and  ceremonies 
of  the  two  are  to  one  not  initiated  almost  identical. 

To  commemorate  such  an  event  as  leads  other 
nations  to  erect  triumphal  arches,  Russia  builds 
churches.  In  St.  Petersburg,  the  Church  of  St.  Al- 
exander commemorates  the  first  victory  won  by  the 
Russians  over  the  Swedes ;  St.  Isaac's,  the  birth  of 
Peter  the  Great ;  Our  Lady  of  Kazan,  the  triumph  of 
Russian  arms  against  the  Persians  and  the  Turks. 
In  Moscow,  St.  Basil  commemorates  the  conquest 
of  Kazan;  the  Donskoi  Convent,  the. victory  over  the 
Crim  Tartars  ;  and  St.  Saviour's,  the  expulsion  of  Na- 
poleon. Slava  Bo(ju!  —  "  Glory  to  God,"  —  is  an  ex- 
pression ever  upon  the  lips  of  the  devout  Russian, 


DAYS   OF  PENAXCE   AND  DEVOTION.      2G9 

and  he  is  only  consistent  to  his  Oriental  instincts  in 
the  multiplication  of  fane  and  altar  throughout  his 
native-land.  If  fasting  and  prayer  are  indications  of 
sincerity,  he  must  be  actuated  by  honest  convictions, 
.  since  he  has  twice  the  number  of  days  in  the  year 
devoted  to  self-denial  which  are  known  to  other  re- 
ligionists. Every  Wednesday  and  Friday,  be  his 
situation  or  condition  what  it  may,  he  must  abstain 
from  meat.  More  than  one  half  the  days  in  a  Russian 
year  are  devoted  to  fasting  and  humiliation.  During 
seven  weeks  before  Easter  no  flesh  or  fish,  no  milk, 
no  eggs,  and  no  butter  can  be  partaken  of  without 
outraging  the  familiar  rules  of  the  Church.  For  fif- 
teen days  in  August  a  fast  of  great  severity  is  held  in 
honor  of  the  Virgin's  death.  We  do  not  pretend  to 
give  a  list  of  the  periods  devoted  to  fast ;  these  Ave 
have  named  are  only  examples.  Every  new  house  in 
which  a  man  lives,  every  new  shop  which  he  opens 
for  trade,  must  be  formally  blessed  at  the  outset.  So 
closely  have  religious  passions  passed  into  social  life 
that  the  people  are  even  more  alive  to  its  require- 
ments than  the  priesthood,  save  in  those  instances 
where  perquisites  are  anticipated. 

The  cost  of  everything  in  Russia,  except  the  bare 
necessities,  seemed  to  us  to  be  exorbitant,  —  nice  ar- 
ticles of  dress  or  of  simple  wear  being  held  at  such 
l^rices  as  naturally  leads  foreigners  to  avoid  all  pur- 
chases which  can  conveniently  be  deferred.  As  to 
the  native  population  who  are  able  to  expend  money 
freely,  they  do  not  seem  to  care  what  price  is  charged 


270  DUE  NORTH. 

them ;   their  recklessness,  indeed,  in  money  matters 
has  long  been  proverbial.     So  long  as  they  have  the 
means  to  pay  with,  they  do  so ;  when  this  is  no  longer 
the  case,  'they  seem  to  live  with  equal  recklessness  on 
credit.    We  were  told  that  one  tliird  of  the  apparently 
affluent   were    bankrupt.     Fancy    articles   which    are 
offered  for  sale  in  the  city  stores  are  nearly  all  im- 
ported from  Paris  or  Vienna  ;  very  few  lines  of  manu- 
factured goods  are  produced  in  the  country.     Opera 
and  theatre  tickets  cost  three  times  as  much  as  in 
America ;  and  all  select  public  exhibitions  are  charged 
for  in  a  similar  ratio,  except  a  few  which  are  organ- 
ized on  a  popular  basis  for  the  humbler  classes,  such 
as  the  tea  and  beer  gardens.     The  theatres  of  St. 
Petersburg   are   after  the   usual   European    style   of 
these  structures,  —  all  being  large  and   convenient. 
As  they  are  under  the  sole  charge  of  the  Government, 
they  are  conducted  on  a  grand  scale  of  excellence. 
Nothing  but  the  choicest  thing  of  its  kind  in  dramatic 
representation  is  permitted,  —  only  the  best  ballet  and 
opera,  aided  by  the  most  admirable  scenery  and  me- 
chanical effects.     The  establishment  known  as  tlie 
Italian  Opera  accommodates  three  thousand  specta- 
tors without  crowding.     In  what  is  called  the  Michael 
Theatre  the  best  French  troupes  only  appear ;  and  it 
may  be  safely  said  that  the   average   performances 
excel  those  of  Paris.     A  Government  censor  critically 
examines  every  piece  before  its  performance.     The 
prices  paid  by  the  directors  for  the  services  of  the 
best  Euroijcan    jicrformors  arc  almost  fabulous ;   no 


POPULAR   AMI'SEMENTS.  271 

private  enterprise  could  afford  to  disljiirse  such  liberal 
compensations  to  artists.  The  necessity  for  paying 
such  extravagant  rates  arises  partly  from  the  disin- 
clination of  prima-donnas  and  other  dramatic  artists 
to  subject  themselves  to  the  arbitrary  direction  of  a 
censorship  which  is  sure  to  hold  them  strictly  to  the 
letter  of  their  agreement,  and  which  does  not  hesitate 
to  inflict  exemplary  punishment  for  wilful  departure 
from  the  same.  Besides  which,  the  rigor  of  the  cli- 
mate is  such  as  to  create  a  dread  among  women-artists 
to  encounter  its  exigencies.  It  is  only  during  the 
winter  months  that  the  theatres  are  open,  as  in  the 
summer  season  the  court  and  fashionable  people  gen- 
erally are  absent  from  the  capital. 

Here,  as  in  Copenhagen  and  Stockholm,  the  people 
are  assiduous  in  improving  the  short  summer  weeks 
by  devoting  themselves  heart  and  soul  to  out-door 
amusements.  Night  is  turned  into  day ;  the  public 
gardens  are  crowded,  —  the  entertainments  consisting 
of  light  theatricals,  music,  acrobatic  performances, 
dancing,  and  the  like,  which  are  kept  up  alternating 
with  each  other  until  long  past  midnight.  The  people 
in  the  mean  time  sit  at  little  marble  tables,  and  sip  tea 
from  tumblers,  drink  beer,  coffee,  and  spirits,  supple- 
mented by  various  light  condiments,  until  finally  those 
who  drink  fermented  liquors  become  more  than  jolly. 
These  places  of  course  draw  together  all  classes  of 
people,  and  more  especially  are  the  nightly  resort  of 
the  demi-monde.  In  European  cities,  generally,  such 
resorts  are  compelled  to  close  at  midnight ;  here  they 


272  DUE  NORTH. 

may  last  until  daylight  returns.  The  Sabbath  is  the 
most  popular  day  of  the  seven  at  the  public  gardens, 
when  day  and  evening  performances  take  place.  The 
Greek  churches,  like  the  Roman  Catholic,  are  always 
open  through  the  entire  week,  so  that  the  devoutly- 
inclined  can  turn  aside  at  any  hour  and  bow  before 
the  altar,  which  to  him  typifies  all  that  is  holy.  The 
Sabbath  is  therefore  regarded  here  as  it  is  in  Rome, 
Paris,  or  Seville,  —  in  the  light  of  a  holiday  as  well 
as  a  holy-day.  After  having  attended  morning  Mass, 
a  member  of  either  churcli  unhesitatingly  seeks  his 
favorite  amusement.  The  horse-races  of  Paris,  the 
bull-fights  of  Madrid,  and  the  grand  military-parades 
of  St.  Petersburg,  all  take  place  on  Sunday.  Few 
European  communities  find  that  repose  and  calmness 
in  the  day  which  seems  best  to  accord  with  American 
sentiment.  It  cannot  be  supposed  that  a  community 
which  goes  to  bed  so  late, —  seldom  before  two  or  three 
o'clock  A.  M., —  can  be  early  risers,  and  they  certainly 
are  not.  Only  the  bakers'  and  butchers'  shops  and 
the  bar-rooms  are  open  before  ten  o'clock  a.  m.,  while 
general  business  is  not  resumed  before  about  midday. 
The  plodding  laborer  only  is  seen  wending  his  way  to 
work  as  the  church-bells  chime  out  the  six  o'clock 
matins ;  and  no  matter  how  many  churches,  shrines, 
or  chapels  he  may  pass,  at  each  one  he  lifts  his  hat, 
makes  the  sign  of  the  cross  upon  his  breast,  and 
mutters  a  brief  prayer. 

Every  Russian  city  has  a  C.ostinnoi-Dvor,  or  Bazaar, 
meaning  literally  the  "  Stranger's  Court,"  —  a  sort  of 


THE   GOSTINNOI-DVOR.  273 

permanent  fair,  —  a  "  bon-marclic)  "  on  a  large  scale. 
That  of  St.  Petersburg  is  situated  on  the  Nevsky 
Prospect ;  or  rather  it  fronts  upon  that  thoroughfare, 
but  extends  through  to  Great  Garden  Street,  The 
structure  devoted  to  this  purpose  is  two  stories  in 
height,  the  second  floor  being  reserved  for  wholesale 
business,  while  the  basement  or  ground-floor  consists 
of  a  multitude  of  retail  shops,  where  nearly  every  con- 
ceivable kind  of  goods  is  offered  for  sale.  No  fire  is 
allowed  in  the  bazaar  even  in  winter,  except  the  tiny 
silver  lamps  which  burn  before  the  pictures  of  saints. 
To  suppose  that  these  could  be  dangerous  would  be 
sacrilege.  There  is  one  excellent  rule  in  the  Gostin- 
noi-Dvor :  while  other  city  shops  ask  various  prices, 
and  sell  for  whatever  they  can  get,  this  great  bazaar 
has  fixed  ])rices,  and  is  supposed  to  adhere  to  them. 
Regarding  the  quality  of  the  goods  sold  here,  truth 
compels  us  to  say  that  the  intelligent  traveller  will 
hardly  feel  inclined  to  invest  much  money  in  their 
purchase.  Pictures  of  saints  and  packs  of  cards  are 
the  two  articles  which  find  the  largest  sale  in  such 
places.  A  propensity  to  gamble  is  as  natural  to  this 
people  as  it  is  to  the  Chinese.  The  popular  cry  of  the 
Spanish  lower  classes  is  "bread  and  bulls;"  that  of 
the  Russians  might  be  "  saints  and  cards."  Next 
to  vodka,  cards  are  the  evil  genius  of  the  masses. 
Many  are  the  dram-shops  and  potent  the  liquor  where 
the  idlers  play  with  cards  and  liquid  fire.  We  were 
speaking  to  a  resident  upon  these  matters,  when  he 
closed  by  saying:  "Ah,  yes,  it  is  to  be  regretted  ;  but 
18 


274  DUE  NORTH. 

what  can  you  expect  ?  It  is  so  hard  to  be  good,  and 
so  very  easy  to  be  bad  !  " 

Coming  out  of  the  labyrinth  of  narrow  alleys  and 
long  arcades  of  the  bazaar  upon  the  Nevsky  Prospect 
side,  we  overtook  a  bevy  of  nursery  girls  with  their 
juvenile  charges  bound  for  the  shady  paths  and  fra- 
grant precincts  of  the  Summer  Garden.  These  maids 
are  here  quite  a  social  feature,  and  in  their  showy 
distinctive  dress  recall  those  of  the  Tuileries  at  Paris, 
the  Prado  at  Madrid,  or  the  Ceylon  nurses  of  English 
officers'  children  at  Colombo.  These  St.  Petersburg 
domestics  much  affect  the  old  Russian  costume,  with 
added  vividness  of  color,  producing  a  theatrical  and 
gala-day  effect.  It  seems  to  be  quite  a  mark  of  fam- 
ily distinction  to  have  a  nurse  thus  bedecked  about 
the  house,  or  abroad  with  its  baby-representative, 
while  there  is  evident  rivalry  between  the  matronly 
employers  in  regard  to  the  richness  of  the  dresses 
worn  by  the  maids.  These  costumes  consist  often  of 
a  bonnet  like  a  diadem  of  red  or  blue  velvet,  embroi- 
dered with  gold,  beneath  which  falls  the  hair  in  two 
long  braids.  The  robe  is  of  some  wadded  damask, 
the  waist  just  below  the  arms,  supplemented  by  a 
very  short  skirt.  Plenty  of  gold  cord  decks  these 
garments,  which  arc  usually  braided  in  fantastic 
figures. 

The  one  vehicle  of  Russia  is  the  drosky,  the  most 
uncomfortable  and  unavailable  vehicle  ever  con- 
structed for  the  use  of  man,  but  of  which  there  are, 
nevertheless,  over  fifteen  tliousaiid  in  tlic  streets  of 


D1UJSKIJ::S   ASD    THEIR   DRIVERS.  275 

the  imperial  city.  It  has  very  low  wheels,  a  heavy 
awkward  body,  and  is  as  noisy  as  a  Concord  coach. 
Some  one  describes  it  as  being  a  cross  between  a  cab 
and  an  instrument  of  torture.  There  is  no  rest  for 
the  occupant's  back ;  and  while  the  seat  is  more  than 
large  enough  for  one,  it  is  not  large  enough  for  two 
persons.  It  is  a  sort  of  sledge  on  wheels.  The  noise 
made  by  these  low-running  ugly  conveyances  as  they 
are  hurried  by  the  drivers  over  the  uneven  rubble- 
stones  of  the  streets  is  deafening.  Why  the  Russians 
adhere  so  tenaciously  to  this  ill-conceived  four-wheeled 
conveyance,  we  could  not  divine.  It  has  no  special 
adaptability  to  the  roads  or  streets  of  the  country  that 
we  could  understand,  while  there  are  half-a-dozen  Eu- 
ropean or  American  substitutes  combining  comfort, 
economy,  and  comeliness,  which  might  be  profitably 
adopted  in  its  place.  The  legal  charge  for  convey- 
ance in  droskies  is  as  moderate  as  is  their  accommo- 
dation, but  a  foreigner  is  always  charged  three  or  four 
times  the  regular  fare.  The  poor  ill-paid  fellows  who 
drive  them  form  a  distinct  class,  dressing  all  alike, 
in  a  short  bell-crowned  hat,  a  padded  blue-cloth  sur- 
tout,  or  wrapper,  reaching  to  their  feet  and  folded 
across  the  breast.  This  garment  is  buttoned  under 
the  left  arm  with  a  row  of  six  small,  close-set  silver 
buttons,  -while  a  belt  indicates  where  the  waist  should 
be.  These  drivers  are  a  miserably  ignorant  class, 
sleeping  doubled  up  on  the  front  of  the  droskies  night 
and  day,  when  not  employed.  The  vehicle  is  at  once 
their  house  and  their  bed,  and  if  one  requires  a  drosky 


276  DUE  NORTH. 

he  first  awakens  the  driver,  who  is  usually  curled  up 
asleep  like  a  dog.  It  is  the  only  home  these  poor  fel- 
lows have,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten.  The  horses  are 
changed  at  night  after  a  day's  service,  but  the  driver 
remains  at  his  post  day  and  night.  Unlike  the  reck- 
less drivers  of  Paris,  Naples,  and  New  York,  the  Rus- 
sian rarely  strikes  his  horse  with  the  whip,  but  is  apt 
to  talk  to  him  incessantly,  —  "  Go  ahead  !  we  are  in 
a  hurry,  my  infant ; "  or,  "  Take  care  of  that  stone  !  " 
"  Turn  to  the  left,  my  pigeon !  "  and  so  on. 

All  St.  Petersburg  wear  top-boots  outside  the  panta- 
loons. Even  mechanics  and  common  laborers  adopt 
this  style  ;  but  wherefore,  except  that  it  is  the  fashion, 
one  cannot  conceive.  The  common  people  universally 
wear  red-cotton  shirts  hanging  outside  the  panta- 
loons. It  was  surprising  to  see  gentlemen  wearing 
overcoats  in  mid-summer,  when  the  temperature  was 
such  that  Europeans  would  be  perspiring  freely  though 
clad  in  the  thinnest  vestment.  In  winter  the  Rus- 
sian covers  himself  up  to  the  very  eyes  in  fur,  and 
perhaps  the  contrast  between  fur  and  woollen  makes 
sufficient  difference  with  him.  It  was  observed  that 
the  apparatus  and  organization  for  extinguishing  fires 
in  the  city  was  very  primitive,  water  being  conveyed 
in  a  barrel-shaped  vehicle,  and  other  very  simple 
means  adopted.  The  water-ways  of  the  city,  with  a 
proper  hose-system,  ought  certainly  to  supply  suffi- 
cient water  for  any  possible  exigency.  In  the  several 
districts  of  the  town  lofty  watch-towers  are  erected, 
from   which    a  strict   look-out  is  kept  at   all   hours 


CLOSE   SURVEILLANCE    OF  STRANGERS.     211 

f  jr  fires ;  and  a  system  of  signals  is  adopted  where- 
by the  loeality  of  any  chance  blaze  can  be  plainly  and 
promptly  indicated.  In  the  daytime  this  is  done  by 
means  of  black  balls,  and  in  the  night  by  colored 
lights.  But  in  St.  Petersburg  as  in  Paris  destructive 
fires  are  of  rare  occurrence ;  for  if  one  breaks  out,  the 
houses  are  so  nearly  fire-proof  that  the  damage  is 
almost  always  confined  to  the  apartment  where  it 
originates. 

In  leaving  St.  Petersburg,  it  must  be  admitted  that 
one  encounters  a  great  amount  of  formality  relating 
to  passports  and  other  matters  seemingly  very  need- 
less. Though  the  principal  sights  of  the  city  are 
called  free,  yet  one  cannot  visit  them  unattended  by  a 
well-known  local  guide  or  without  disbursing  liberally 
of  fees.  Foreigners  are  not  left  alone  for  a  moment, 
and  are  not  permitted  to  wander  hither  and  thither 
in  the  galleries,  as  in  other  countries,  or  to  examine 
freely  for  themselves.  One  is  forbidden  to  make  even 
pencil  sketches  or  to  take  notes  in  the  various  palaces, 
museums,  armories,  or  hospitals  ;  and  if  he  would  after- 
wards record  his  impressions,  he  must  trust  solely  to 
memory.  The  author  was  subjected  to  constant  sur- 
veillance in  both  St.  Petersburg  and  ^loscow,  which  was 
to  say  the  least  of  it  quite  annoying  ;  his  correspon- 
dence was  also  withheld  from  him,  —  but  no  serious 
trouble  worth  expatiating  upon  was  experienced.  In 
passing  from  city  to  city  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
have  one's  passport  vised,  n?,  no  railroad  agent  will  sell 
a  ticket  to  the  traveller  without  this  evidence  being 


278  DUE  NORTH. 

exhibited  to  him ;  and  finally,  upon  preparing  to  leave 
the  country,  one's  passport  must  show  the  official  sig- 
nature authorizing  this  purpose.  There  is  a  proverb 
which  says,  "  The  gates  of  Russia  are  wide  to  those 
who  €nter,  but  narrow  to  those  who  would  go  out." 
No  native  of  rank  can  leave  the  country  without  spe- 
cial permission,  which  is  obtainable  on  the  payment  of 
a  certain  tax,  though  not  unless  it  meets  the  Empe- 
ror's approval.  Under  former  emperors  this  has  been 
a  source  of  considerable  dissatisfaction  to  people  who 
desired  to  travel  abroad,  and  who  could  not  obtain  the 
needed  permission  of  the  Tzar,  but  we  were  told  that 
under  the  present  government  much  greater  liberty 
of  action  is  accorded  to  sul)jects  of  all  classes  in  this 
respect.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  remind  the  reader 
that  in  an  absolute  monarchy  the  will  of  the  ruler  is 
law.  In  Russia  all  power  is  centred  in  the  Emperor. 
For  the  purpose  of  local  administration,  Poland,  Fin- 
land, the  Baltic  provinces,  and  the  Caucasus  have  each 
their  own  form  of  government,  having  been  permitted 
to  retain  their  local  laws  and  institutions  to  a  certain 
extent  when  they  were  not  at  variance  with  the  gen- 
eral principle  of  the  Empire,  Though  at  the  imperial 
headquarters  of  government  the  Emperor  is  aided  by 
four  great  Councils,  he  is  free  to  accept  or  reject  their 
advice  as  he  pleases. 

The  censorship  of  the  press  is  still  enforced  to  a  cer- 
tain extent,  though  as  already  intimated  it  is  far  from 
being  so  rigid  as  heretofore.  At  the  Hotel  d'Angle- 
terrc,  where  the  author  made  his  tcmi)orary  home,  it 


CENSORSHIP   OF   THE   PliESS.  279 

was  noticed  that  a  copy  of  the  "New  York  HcralU  " 
was  kept  on  file  for  the  use  of  the  guests ;  but  it  was 
also  observed  that  it  was  not  delivered  from  the  Post- 
office  until  the  day  subsequent  to  its  receipt,  which 
gave  the  officials  ample  time  to  examine  and  pass 
upon  the  contents.  On  the  day  following  our  arrival 
the  Herald  was  delivered  at  the  hotel  minus  a  leading 
article,  which  had  been  cut  out  by  the  Post-office  offi- 
cials, who  did  not  consider  the  subject,  whatever  it 
may  have  been,  wholesome  mental  food  to  lay  before 
the  Emperor's  subjects.  On  expressing  surprise  to 
our  host  at  this  mutilation  of  the  newspaper,  we  were 
answered  only  by  a  very  significant  shrug  of  the  shoul- 
ders. Residents  are  very  careful  about  expressing 
any  opinion  regarding  the  official  acts  of  the  Govern- 
ment. Books,  newspapers,  or  reading  matter  in  any 
form  if  found  among  a  traveller's  baggage  is  generally 
taken  possession  of  by  the  officers  of  the  customs ;  but 
if  one  is  willing  to  submit  to  the  necessary  red  tape 
and  expense,  they  will  be  returned  to  him  upon  his 
leaving  the  country. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

On  the  Road  to  Moscow.  —  Russian  Peasantiy .  — Military  Station 
Masters.  —  Peat  Fuel  for  the  War-Ships.  —  Farm  Products.— 
Scenery.  —  Wild-Flowers.  —  City  of  Tver.  —  Inland  Navigation.  — 
The  Great  River  Volga.  —  The  Ancient  Muscovite  Capital.  — 
Spires  and  Minarets.  —  A  Russian  Mecca.  —  Pictorial  Signs.  —  The 
Kremlin.  —  The  Royal  Palace.  —  King  of  Bells.  —  Cathedral  of 
St.  Basil. —The  Royal  Treasury.  —  Church  of  Our  Saviour.— 
Chinese  City,  —  Rag  Fair.  —  Manufactures. 


The  distance  from  St.  Petersburg  to  Moscow  is  a 
little  over  four  hundred  miles,  the  railroad  built  by 
American  contractors  having  been  constructed  abso- 
lutely upon  a  straight  line,  without  regard  to  popula- 
tion or  the  situation  of  considerable  towns  lying  near 
the  route.  The  Russians  measure  distance  by  versts. 
The  line  between  the  two  cities  is  six  hundred  and 
four  versts  in  length,  which  is  equivalent  to  four  hun- 
dred and  three  English  miles.  At  the  time  when  the 
route  for  the  railroad  was  surveying  tliere  was  a  great 
diversity  of  interest  developed  as  to  the  exact  course 
it  should  follow,  and  bitter  disputes  gre\v  up  between 
individuals  and  communities.  These  varied  antagonis- 
tic ideas  at  last  culminated  in  so  decided  an  expression 
of  feeling  that  the  commissioners  having  the  matter 
in  charge  were  forced  to  api)cal  to  the  Emperor  to 
settle  the  matter.     He  listened  to  the  statement  of 


RUSSIAN  RAILROADS.  281 

facts,  examined  the  toi)ograpliical  maps  laid  before 
him  representing  the  country  over  which  the  proposed 
road  was  to  pass,  and  settled  the  matter  in  true  auto- 
cratic style.  Taking  a  rule,  he  laid  it  upon  the  map 
between  the  two  cities  and  drew  with  a  pencil  a  per- 
fectly straight  line  from  one  to  the  other,  saying  to 
his  commissioners,  "  Build  the  road  exactly  upon  that 
line  ; "  and  it  was  done.  The  cars  upon  this  route  carry 
the  traveller  directly  into  the  heart  of  Russia.  One  is 
apt  to  become  a  little  impatient  at  the  moderate  speed 
attained  upon  the  railroads  in  this  country,  twenty-five 
miles  per  hour  being  the  average  rate  of  progress. 
Yet  the  roads  are  remarkably  well  built,  and  the  roll- 
ing stock,  as  a  rule,  is  superior  to  that  generally  found 
in  Southern  Europe.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Crimean  war  there  were  less 
than  eight  hundred  miles  of  railroad  in  the  Tzar's  en- 
tire dominions,  while  to-day  there  are  about  twenty 
thousand  miles  of  well-constructed  and  efficient  roads 
of  this  character,  forming  a  complete  system  permeat- 
ing all  populous  sections  of  the  country ;  and  to  this 
may  be  added  an  annual  increase  of  from  six  to  eight 
hundred  miles.  Had  Nicholas  I.  possessed  the  means 
of  moving  large  bodies  of  troops  with  promptness 
from  one  part  of  his  extended  domain  to  another 
which  now  exist,  England  and  France  would  have 
found  their  dearly-bought  and  but  partially-achieved 
victory  in  the  Crimea  an  impossibility.  While  her 
enemies  possessed  rapid  transit  from  all  points,  and 
open  communication  with  their  base  of  supplies  both 


282  DUE  NORTH. 

by  steamboat  and  railroad,  Russia's  soldiers  had 
hundreds  of  miles  to  march  on  foot,  over  nearly  im- 
passable roads,  in  order  to  reach  the  seat  of  war. 
Now  the  Emperor  can  concentrate  troops  at  any 
desired  point  as  promptly  as  any  other  European 
power. 

On  the  trip  from  St.  Petersburg  to  Moscow  one  pro- 
ceeds through  scenery  of  the  most  monotonous  and, 
we  must  add,  of  the  most  melancholy  character,  —  flat 
and  featureless,  made  up  of  forests  of  fir-trees,  in- 
terspersed with  the  white  birch  and  long  reaches  of 
wide,  cheerless,  deserted  plains.  The  dense  forest 
forms  a  prominent  feature  of  Russia  north  of  the  line 
of  travel  between  the  two  great  cities,  covering  in  that 
region  fully  a  third  part  of  the  surface  of  the  country ; 
indeed,  the  largest  forest  in  Europe  is  that  of  Volsko- 
niki,  near  the  source  of  the  Volga.  On  the  contrary, 
to  the  south  of  Moscow  the  vast  plains  or  steppes  are 
quite  free  from  wood,  in  fact  only  too  often  consisting 
of  mere  sandy  deserts,  unfit  for  habitation.  It  seemed 
as  though  no  country  could  be  more  thinly  inhabited 
or  more  wearisomely  tame.  Now  and  again  a  few 
sheep  were  seen  cropping  the  thin  Im-owu  moss  and 
straggling  verdure,  tended  by  a  boy  clad  in  a  fur  cap 
and  skin  capote,  forming  a  strong  contrast  to  his  bare 
legs  and  feet.  Few  people  are  seen  and  no  considera- 
ble communities,  though  occasional  sections  exhibit  fair 
cultivation.  This  is  partly  explained  by  the  fact  that 
the  road  was  built  simply  to  connect  Moscow  and  St. 
Petersburg,  as  already  explained.     Tliough  inhabited 


THE  RUSSIAN  PEASANTRY.  283 

for  contiuios  by  fiorco  and  active  races,  the  appear- 
ance here  is  that  of  primitiveness  ;  the  log-cabins  seem 
like  temporary  expedients,  —  wooden  tents,  as  it  were. 
The  men  and  women  who  are  seen  at  the  stations  are 
of  the  Calmuck  type,  the  ugliest  of  all  humanity,  with 
high  cheek-bones,  flattened  noses,  dull  gray  eyes,  cop- 
per-colored hair,  and  bronzed  complexions.  Their  food 
is  not  of  a  character  to  develop  much  physical  comeli- 
ness. The  one  vegetable  which  the  Russian  peasant  cul- 
tivates is  cabbage ;  this  mixed  with  dried  mushrooms, 
and  rarely  anything  else,  makes  the  soup  upon  which 
he  lives.  Add  to  this  soup  a  porridge  made  of  maize, 
and  we  have  about  the  entire  substance  of  their  regular 
food.  If  they  produce  some  pork  and  corn,  butter  and 
cheese,  these  are  sold  at  the  nearest  market,  and  are 
of  far  too  dainty  a  character  for  them  to  indulge  in, 
since  a  certain  amount  of  money  must  be  raised  some- 
how for  the  annual  visit  of  the  tax-gatherer.  We  are 
speaking  of  the  humble  masses  ;  of  course  there  are 
some  thrifty  peasants,  who  manage  to  live  on  a  more 
liberal  scale,  and  to  provide  better  subsistence  for  their 
families,  but  they  form  the  exception.  The  railroad 
is  owned  and  operated  by  the  Government,  and  it  was  a 
little  ludicrous  to  see  the  station-masters  in  full  uni- 
form wherever  the  train  stopped,  with  their  swords 
and  spurs  clanking  upon  the  wooden  platforms.  A 
naval  officer  might  with  just  as  much  propriety  wear 
spurs  upon  the  quarter-deck  as  a  local  railroad  agent 
on  shore.  But  the  customs  here  are  unlike  those  of 
other  lands ;  Russia  resembles  herself  alone. 


284  DUE  NORTH. 

"With  the  exception  of  the  provinces  which  border 
on  the  Caucasus,  all  Russia  is  prairie-like  in  surface. 
Tlie  moderate  slopes  and  elevations  of  the  Urals  scarce- 
ly break  this  vast  plain  which  covers  so  large  a  share  of 
the  globe.  Two  fifths  of  European  Russia  are  covered 
with  woods,  interspersed  with  morass  and  arable  land  ; 
but  as  regards  fuel,  the  peat  beds  in  the  central  re- 
gions are  practically  inexhaustible,  forming  a  cheap 
and  ever-present  means  for  the  production  of  heat  in 
the  long  dreary  winters,  as  well  as  for  steam-produc- 
ing purposes  on  railroads  and  in  manufactories.  In 
the  general  absence  of  coal  mines,  the  importance  of  the 
peat-product  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  It  is  con- 
sidered by  consumers  that  the  same  cubic  quantity  of 
peat  will  yield  one  third  more  heat  in  actual  use  than 
wood,  retaining  it  longer ;  besides  which  it  possesses 
some  other  minor  advantages  over  the  product  of  the 
forest.  At  some  points  on  the  line  of  the  railroad 
immense  mounds  of  peat  were  observed  which  had 
been  mined,  dried,  and  stacked  for  future  use  by  the 
employees  of  the  Government.  The  visible  amount  of 
the  article  was  often  so  great  as  to  be  quite  beyond 
estimate  by  a  casual  observer.  The  long  broad 
stacks  in  more  than  one  instance  covered  several 
acres  of  land,  closely  ranged  with  narrow  road-ways 
between  them.  They  were  twenty  feet  or  more  in 
height,  and  conical-shaped  to  shed  the.  rain.  Prepared 
with  rock-oil,  coal-dust,  and  some  other  combustible, 
we  were  told  that  this  peat  had  been  successfully  used 
on  the  Russian  war-steamers,  proving  superior  to  coal 


MIXERALS   AXD   AGRICULTURE.  2S5 

in  the  ordinary  form,  besides  tiiking  up  nnich  less 
room  in  the  ships'  bunks.  As  to  j)rocure  lucl  for 
her  ships  of  war  has  been  a  problem  difficult  to  solve 
heretofore,  this  immense  storage  of  peat  looked  to  us 
as  if  designed  to  meet  this  special  purpose.  The  peasan- 
try, as  we  have  said,  are  generally  quite  poor,  though 
many  of  them  now  own  their  little  farms,  which  the 
want  of  pecuniary  means  compels  them  to  work  with 
the  most  primitive  tools ;  besides  which  they  are  en- 
tirely unaided  by  the  light  of  modern  agricultural 
experience.  No  other  country,  however,  is  so  rich 
in  horses,  mines  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  precious 
stones,  or  in  the  more  useful  products  of  iron,  lead, 
and  zinc.  The  fecundity  of  the  Russians  is  some- 
thing elsewhere  unequalled ;  still  the  inhabitants  aver- 
age but  about  fifteen  to  the  square  mile,  while  Ger- 
many has  nearly  eighty,  and  England  a  hundred  and 
fourteen.  The  average  climate  is  not  unfavorable  to 
health,  though  there  are  insalubrious  districts  whose 
condition  is  traceable  to  local  causes.  The  birch  for- 
ests with  their  tremulous,  silvery  aspect,  delicate  and 
graceful,  increase  as  one  penetrates  towards  central 
Russia  upon  this  line;  and  there  is  ample  evidence 
of  fair  fertility  of  soil,  which  is  by  no  means  made 
the  most  of.  Rye,  barley,  oats,  and  flax  seem  to  con- 
stitute the  principal  crops  under  cultivation  :  while  it 
was  observed  that  nearly  every  cabin,  however  hum- 
ble, had  its  low,  sheltered  line  of  rudely-constructed 
beehives,  honey  taking  the  place  of  sugar  among  the 
common  people.     The  villages  were  of  rare  occurrence, 


286  DUE   NORTH. 

but  when  seen  presented  road-ways  as  In'oad  as  the 
boulevards  of  great  cities,  yet  only  lined  by  low,  turf- 
roofed  cabins.  The  winter  season  is  so  long  and  se- 
vere that  it  is  difficult  for  the  peasant  to  wrest  from 
the  half-reluctant  earth  sufficient  upon  which  to  sub- 
sist. He  lives  in  a  log-cabin  of  his  own  construction ; 
wife,  daughter,  and  son  all  join  the  father  in  hard 
field-labor,  not  a  small  share  of  which  was  observed 
to  be  ditching,  in  order  to  render  the  marshy  soil 
available  for  crops.  The  brief  season  must  be  made 
the  most  of,  and  therefore  many  hours  are  given  to 
work  and  few  to  sleep.  These  peasants  are  surrounded 
by  all  sorts  of  superstitions  from  their  very  birth. 
Each  of  the  many  festivals  of  the  year  has  its  strange 
rites,  songs,  and  legends.  The  woods  are  believed  to 
be  inhabited  by  demons  and  water-sprites,  and  peopled 
by  invisible  dwarfs  and  genii.  They  still  trust  to 
charms  and  incantations  for  the  cure  of  diseases,  like 
the  Lapps  and  other  semi-barbarians,  while  their  rude 
log-cabins  are  but  one  degree  better  than  the  habita- 
tions of  these  nomads.  Nothing  could  be  more  simple 
than  the  interior  arrangements  of  their  cabins,  never 
omitting,  however,  the  picture  of  some  saint,  before 
which  a  lamp  is  kept  burning  day  and  night.  There 
is  always  a  rude  table,  some  pine  benches,  and  a  huge 
stove.  A  wooden  shelf  raised  a  few  feet  from  the 
floor  is  the  sleeping-place,  and  the  bedding  consists 
of  sheep-skins,  the  condition  of  which,  long  used 
and  seldom  if  ever  washed,  may  be  imagined.  A 
painted  frame-house  is  hardly  to  be  seen  outside  of 


THE   FLORAL   DISPLAY.  287 

tlie  large  towns  ;  no  peasant  would  aspire  to  such  a 
luxury. 

Forests  of  such  density  of  undergrowth  as  to  defy 
ingress  to  man  frequently  line  the  railway  for  miles 
together ;  but  the  dull,  dreary  loneliness  of  the  way 
is  relieved  by  occasional  glimpses  of  wild-flowers 
scattered  along  the  road-side  in  great  variety,  diffus- 
ing indescribable  freshness.  Among  them,  now  and 
again,  a  tall,  glutinous,  scarlet  poppy  would  rear  its 
gaudy  head,  nodding  lazily  in  the  currents  of  air,  and 
leading  one  to  wonder  how  it  came  in  such  company. 
A  peculiar  little  blue-flower  was  frequently  observed 
with  yellow  petals,  which  seemed  to  look  up  from  the 
surrounding  nakedness  and  desolation  with  the  appeal- 
ing expression  of  human  eyes.  Snow-white  daisies 
and  the  delicate  little  hare-bell  came  also  into  view  at 
intervals,  struggling  for  a  brief,  sad  existence,  unless 
the  elfin  crew  consoled  them  beneath  the  moon's  pale 
ray.  We  must  not  fail  to  mention  that  the  stations 
are  beautified  by  floral  displays  of  no  mean  character. 
It  seems  that  professional  gardeners  travel  on  the 
line,  remaining  long  enough  at  each  place  to  organize 
the  skilful  culture  of  garden-plants  by  the  keeper's 
family  during  the  summer  season  ;  but  it  made  one 
shudder  to  imagine  what  must  be  the  aspect  of  this 
region  during  the  long  frost-locked  Russian  Avinter. 

On  reaching  Tver  we  crossed  the  Volga  by  a  high 
iron  bridge,  —  one  of  the  greatest  rivers  of  the  world, 
the  Mississippi  of  Russia.  The  average  traveller  does 
not  stop  at  Tver  any  longer  than  is  necessary  for  the 


288  DUE  NORTH. 

purpose  of  the  railroad  oflicials,  but  it  is  a  consider- 
able and  rising  place,  especially  since  tlie  railroad 
between  the  two  great  cities  chanced  to  run  through 
its  borders.  It  contains  a  little  over  thirty  thousand 
inhabitants  ;  has  its  Kremlin,  cathedral,  theatre,  li- 
brary, and  public  parks.  An  English-speaking  Rus- 
sian, evidently  a  man  of  business  and  affairs  who  was 
bound  for  Moscow,  gave  us  a  very  good  idea  of  Tver, 
Its  locality  upon  the  river  makes  it  the  recipient  of 
great  stores  of  grain,  wool,  and  hemp  for  distribution 
among  western  manufacturers.  Wood-cutting  and 
rafting  also  engage  a  large  number  of  the  population, 
the  product  in  the  shape  of  dimension  lumber,  deals, 
etc.  finally  being  shipped  to  western  European  ports. 
Our  informant  also  spoke  of  this  being  the  centre  of 
an  intelligent  community  scarcely  exceeded  by  the 
best  society  of  St,  Petersburg.  From  this  point  the 
river  is  navigable  for  over  two  thousand  miles  to  far 
off  Astrakhan.  In  a  country  so  extensive,  and  which 
possesses  so  small  a  portion  of  seaboard,  rivers  have 
a  great  importance  ;  and  until  the  introduction  of  the 
growing  system  of  railroads,  they  formed  nearly  tlie 
only  available  means  of  transportation.  The  canals, 
rivers,  and  lakes  are  no  longer  navigated  by  barges 
propelled  by  horse-jiower.  Steam-tugs  and  small  pas- 
senger steamboats  now  tow  great  numbers  of  flat-bot- 
tomed boats,  which  are  universally  of  large  capacity. 
Freight  by  this  mode  of  conveyance  is  very  cheap; 
we  were  told  at  Nijni  Novgorod  that  goods  could 
be  transported  to  that  great  business  centre  from  tlic 


RUSSIAN    RIVERS.  289 

rral  Mountains,  a  distance  of  nearly  fourteen  hun- 
dred miles  by  river,  for  twenty-five  shillings  per  ton. 
The  Volga  is  the  largest  river  in  Europe ;  measured 
through  all  its  windings,  it  has  a  length  of  twenty- 
four  hundred  miles  from  its  rise  among  the  Valdai 
Hills,  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  sea-level, 
to  its  dShouchure  into  the  Caspian.  Many  cities  and 
thriving  towns  are  picturesquely  situated  mostly  on 
its  right  bank,  where  available  sites  upon  elevated 
ground  have  been  found,  —  as  in  the  case  of  Kostroma, 
and  also  at  Nijni-Novgorod,  where  it  is  joined  by  the 
Oka.  In  addition  to  these  rivers  there  are  also  the 
Obi,  the  Yenisei,  the  Lena,  the  Don,  and  the  Dnieper, 
all  rivers  of  the  first  class,  whose  entire  course  from 
source  to  mouth  is  within  Russian  territory,  saying 
nothing  of  the  several  large  rivers  tributary  to  these. 
^Ye  must  not  forget,  however,  those  frontier  rivers, 
the  Danube,  the  Amoor,  and  the  Oxus,  all  of  which 
are  auxiliary  to  the  great  system  of  canals  that  con- 
nect the  headwaters  of  all  the  important  rivers  of 
Russia.  The  Volga  by  this  system  communicates 
with  the  White  Sea,  the  Baltic,  and  the  Euxine, — 
statistics  showing  that  no  less  than  fifteen  thousand 
vessels  navigate  this  great  river  annually. 

While  we  are  placing  these  interesting  facts  before 
the  reader  relating  to  the  material  greatness  and  facili- 
ties of  the  Empire,  we  are  also  approaching  its  ancient 
capital,  upon  which  the  far-reaching  past  has  laid  its 
consecrating  hand.  It  is  found  to  stand  upon  a  vast 
plain,  through  which  winds  the  Moskva  River,  from 
19 


290  DUE  NORTH. 

4 

which  the  city  derives  its  name.  The  villages  natu- 
rally become  more  populous  as  we  advance,  and  gilded 
domes  and  cupolas  occasionally  loom  up  above  the 
tree-tops  on  either  side  of  the  road,  indicating  a  Greek 
church  here  and  there  amid  isolated  communities. 
As  in  approaching  Cairo  one  sees  first  the  pyramids 
of  Gheezeh  and  afterwards  the  graceful  minarets  and 
towers  of  the  Egyptian  city  gleaming  through  the  gold- 
en haze,  so  as  we  gradually  emerge  from  the  thiuly- 
inhabited,  half-cultivated  Russian  plains  and  draw  near 
the  capital,  first  there  comes  into  view  the  massive  tow- 
ers of  the  Kremlin  and  the  Church  of  Our  Saviour  with 
its  golden  dome,  followed  by  the  hundreds  of  glittering 
steeples,  belfries,  towers,  and  star-gilded  domes  which 
characterize  the  ancient  city.  We  were  told  that  the 
many-towered  sacred  edifices  of  Russia  have  a  reli- 
gious significance  in  the  steeples,  domes,  and  spires 
with  which  they  are  so  profusely  decorated.  Usually 
the  middle  projection  is  the  most  lofty,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  four  others,  the  forms  and  positions  vary- 
ing wnth  a  significance  too  subtile  for  one  to  understand 
who  is  not  initiated  in  the  tenets  of  the  Greek  Church. 
Though  some  of  these  temples  have  simply  a  cupola  in 
the  shape  of  an  inverted  bowl,  terminating  in  a  gilded 
point  capped  by  a  cross  and  crescent,  few  of  them 
have  less  than  five  or  six  superstructures,  and  some 
have  sixteen,  of  the  most  whimsical  device,  —  bright, 
gilded  chains  depending  from  them,  affixed  to  the 
apex  of  each  pinnacle.  AVhen  one  looks  for  the  first 
time  upon  the  roofs  of  the  Muscovite  city  as  it  lies 


EVENTFUL   MOSCOW.  291 

under  the  glare  of  the  warm  summer  sun,  the  scene 
is  both  fasciuathig  and  confusing.  The  general  as- 
[)ect  is  far  more  picturesque  at  Moscow  than  at  the 
caj)ital  on  the  Neva,  because  the  city  is  here  located 
upon  undulating  and  in  some  parts  even  hilly  ground  ; 
besides  which  St.  Petersburg  is  decidedly  European, 
while  Moscow  is  Tartar  in  its  very  atmosphere.  The 
first  is  the  visible  growth  of  modern  ideas ;  the  last 
is  the  symbol  of  the  past. 

Though  Moscow  has  been  three  times  nearly  de- 
stroyed,—  first,  by  the  Tartars  in  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury ;  second,  by  the  Poles  in  the  seventeenth  century  ; 
and  again,  at  the  time  of  the  French  invasion  under 
Napoleon,  in  1812,  —  still  it  has  sprung  from  its  ashes 
each  time  as  if  by  magic  power,  and  has  never  lost  its 
original  character,  being  a  more  splendid  and  pros- 
perous capital  than  ever  before  since  its  foundation, 
and  is  to-day  rapidly  increasing  in  the  number  of 
its  population.  The  romantic  character  of  its  his- 
tory, so  mingled  with  protracted,  wars,  civil  conflicts, 
sieges,  and  conflagrations,  makes  it  seem  like  a  fabu- 
lous city.  The  aggregate  of  the  population  is  not 
much  if  any  less  than  that  of  St.  Petersburg,  while  the 
territory  which  it  covers  will  measure  over  twenty 
miles  in  circumference.  "  In  sjjite  of  all  the  ravages 
and  vicissitudes  through  which  ^loscow  has  passed  in 
the  thousand  years  of  its  existence,"  said  a  resident 
to  us,  "  proba])ly  no  city  in  the  world  is  less  changed 
from  its  earliest  years."  Descriptions  of  the  place 
written  by  travellers  nearly  three  centuries  since  might 


292  DUE  NORTH. 

pass  for  a  correct  exhibit  of  the  ancient  capital  to- 
day. The  impress  of  the  long  Tartar  occupation  in 
the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  still  remains 
both  in  the  architecture  and  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  people,  while  much  of  its  original  barbaric 
splendor  permeates  everything.  At  St.  Petersburg 
the  overpowering  influence  of  European  civilization 
is  keenly  felt ;  here,  that  of  Oriental  mysticism  still 
prevails. 

The  city  is  unique  taken  as  a  whole.  One  seems  to 
breathe  in  a  semi-Asiatic  barbarism  while  strolling 
through  its  quaint  streets  and  antiquated  quarters. 
There  are  no  avenues  long  enough  to  form  a  perspec- 
tive, the  streets  winding  like  a  river  through  a  broad 
meadow,  but  undulating  so  as  occasionally  to  give 
one  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  neighborhood.  Still  there 
are  modern  sections  which  might  be  taken  out  of 
Vienna,  London,  Dresden,  or  Paris,  for  one  finds 
characteristics  of  them  all  combined  mingled  with  the 
gilded  domes  of  an  Indian  city,  and  the  graceful  min- 
arets of  Egypt.  A  certain  modern  varnish  is  now 
and  then  observable.  Gas  has  been  introduced,  and 
tramways  are  laid  in  some  of  the  principal  thorough- 
fares. Like  the  Manzanares  at  Madrid  or  the  Arno  at 
Florence,  the  Moskva  is  not  a  deep  river,  though  its 
channel  conveys  ten  times  the  amount  of  water  that 
flows  in  those  just  named.  It  winds  ribbon-like  in 
and  about  the  city,  adding  greatly  to  its  picturesque- 
ncss  as  seen  from  an  elevation.  True,  this  city  is  in 
a  central  i)()sition  as  rcsi-ards  the  lenu'th  and  breadth 


PILGRIMAGES    TO   MOSCOW.  293 

of  Russia,  but  that  is  about  all  one  can  say  in  favor 
of  the  location.  St.  Petersburg  reclaimed  from  the 
Finland  swamps  has  the  commerce  of  the  world  at 
its  door,  and  therein  presents  a  raison  d'etre,  which 
almost  excuses  the  labor  and  loss  of  life  and  treasure 
which  it  cost. 

Moscow  is  to  the  Russian  what  Mecca  is  to  the 
pious  Moslem,  and  he  calls  it  by  the  endearing  name 
of  "  Mother."  Like  Kief  and  the  Troitzkoi,  it  is  the 
object  of  pious  pilgrimage  to  thousands  annually,  who 
come  from  long  distances  and  always  on  foot.  The 
ludicrously  illustrated  signs  are  as  numerous  here  as 
they  are  in  the  capital,  often  running  into  caricature. 
For  instance,  a  fruit-dealer  puts  out  a  gaudily-painted 
scene  representing  a  basket  of  fruit  and  its  carrier 
coming  to  grief,  the  basket  and  contents  falling  from 
the  carrier's  head  and  the  fruit  flying  in  all  directions. 
A  milk-shop  exhibited  a  crude  vsign  depicting  a  strug- 
gle between  a  hungry  calf  and  a  dairy-maid  as  to  which 
should  obtain  the  lacteal  deposit  from  the  cow.  These 
signs  answer  their  purpose,  and  speak  a  mute  language 
intelligible  to  the  Russian  multitude.  The  city  is  said 
to  have  once  contained  "forty  times  forty  churches 
and  chai)els,"  but  it  has  not  so  many  to-day,  though 
there  must  be  between  six  and  eight  hundred.  The 
ambassadors  of  Holstein  said  in  1G33  that  there  were 
two  thousand  churches  and  chapels  in  the  capital. 
The  Kremlin  which  crowns  a  hill  is  the  central  point 
of  the  city,  and  is  enclosed  by  high  walls,  battlement 
rising   upon    battlement,  flanked  by  massive  towers. 


294  DUE  NORTH. 

The  name  is  Tartar,  and  signifies  a  fortress.  As  such 
it  is  unequalled  for  its  vastness,  its  historical  associa- 
tions, and  the  wealth  of  its  sanctuaries.  It  was  founded 
six  or  seven  hundred  years  ago,  and  is  an  enclosure 
studded  witli  cathedrals  covering  broad  streets  and 
spacious  squares.  That  of  Krasnoi  exhibits  a  bronze 
monument  in  its  centre  erected  in  honor  of  Mininn 
and  Tojarsky,  two  Muscovite  patriots.  The  Krem- 
lin is  a  citadel  and  a  city  within  itself,  being  the 
same  to  Moscow  that  the  Acropolis  was  to  Athens. 
The  buildings  are  a  strange  conglomerate  of  architec- 
ture, including  Tartarian,  Hindu,  Chinese,  and  Gothic, 
exhibited  in  cathedrals,  chapels,  towers,  convents,  and 
palaces.  We  did  not  count  them,  but  were  told  that 
there  were  thirty-two  churches  within  the  walls.  The 
cathedral  of  the  Assumption  is  perhaps  the  most  note- 
worthy, teeming  as  it  does  with  historic  interest,  and 
being  filled  with  tombs  and  pictures  from  its  dark 
agate  floor  to  the  vast  cupola.  Here,  from  the  time 
of  Ivan  the  Great  to  that  of  the  present  Emperor,  the 
Tzars  have  all  been  crowned ;  and  here  Peter  placed 
the  royal  insignia  upon  the  head  of  his  second  wife, 
the  Livonian  peasant-girl.  One  picture  of  the  Virgin 
in  this  church  is  surrounded  by  diamonds  and  other 
precious  stones  which  are  valued  at  half  a  million  of 
dollars.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  on  the  occasion  of 
an  Emperor's  coronation,  or  that  of  some  great  reli- 
gious festival,  the  squares,  streets,  and  areas  gener- 
ally of  the  Kreriilin  become  crowded  with  ecclesias- 
tics, citizens,  strangers,  soldiers,  and  courtiers  in  gala 


THE  KREMLIN  IN  MOSCOW.  295 

array  ;  but  it  seemed  a  little  dreary  and  lonely  to  us 
amid  all  its  antiquity  and  mildewed  splendor.  Silence 
reigned  supreme,  save  for  the  steady  tread  of  the  sen- 
tinels ;  all  was  loneliness,  but  for  the  presence  of  the 
sight-seer  and  his  guide.  However  busy  the  city  close 
at  hand,  commerce  and  trade  do  not  enter  within  the 
walls  of  the  Kremlin.  One's  thoughts  were  busy 
enough,  over-stimulated  in  fact,  while  strolling  through 
the  apartments  of  the  Imperial  Palace.  In  imagina- 
tion, these  low-studded  apartments,  secret  divans  and 
closets  became  repeopled  by  their  former  tenants.  It 
was  remembered  that  even  to  the  days  of  Peter  the 
Great  Oriental  seclusion  was  the  fate  of  empresses 
and  princesses,  upon  whom  the  highest  state  officials 
might  not  dare  to  look, —  whose  faces  in  short  were 
always  hidden.  But  scandal  says  that  thus  unnatu- 
rally secluded,  their  woman  wit  taught  them  ways  of 
compensation ;  for  in  spite  of  guards  and  bolts,  they 
received  at  times  visits  from  their  secret  lovers,  the 
great  risk  encountered  but  adding  zest  to  such  clandes- 
tine achievements.  To  be  sure,  as  a  penalty  a  head 
was  now  and  then  severed  from  the  owner's  body,  and 
some  gay  Lothario  was  knoutcd  and  sent  off  to  Siberia 
to  work  out  his  life  in  the  mines;  but  that  did  not 
change  human  nature,  to  which  royalty  is  as  amen- 
able as  the  rest  of  creation.  The  grand  Palace  as  it 
now  stands  was  built  by  the  Emperor  Nicholas,  or 
rather  it  was  repaired  and  enlarged  by  him,  embra- 
cing all  the  ancient  portions  as  originally  designed, 
but  the  rest  of  the  structure  so  extended  as  to  afford 


296  DUE  NORTH. 

suites  of  royal  state  apartments  which  are  unsurpassed 
by  any  palace  in  the  world,  either  in  spaciousness,  mag- 
nificence of  finish  or  furniture.  The  Throne  Room 
is  beyond  comparison  the  most  superb  apartment  of 
its  character  which  the  author  has  ever  seen.  Mag- 
nificent as  the  interior  is,  the  external  architectural 
effect  of  the  Palace  is  in  such  decided  contrast  with 
that  of  the  surrounding  churches,  monasteries,  towers, 
and  sacred  gates  as  to  create  a  singular  incongruity. 

The  venerable,  crenellated  walls  of  the  Kremlin, 
which  measure  about  two  miles  in  circumference, 
forming  nearly  a  triangle,  are  pierced  by  five  gates  of 
an  imposing  character,  to  each  of  which  is  attributed 
a  religious  or  historical  importance.  Often  have  in- 
vading hosts  battered  at  these  gates,  and  sometimes 
gained  an  entrance ;  but  strange  to  say,  they  have 
always  in  the  end  been  worsted  by  the  faithful 
Muscovites.  Over  the  Redeemer's  Gate,  so  called,  is 
affixed  a  wonder-working  picture  of  the  Saviour,  which 
is  an  object  of  great  and  universal  veneration.  No 
one,  not  even  the  Emperor,  passes  beneath  it  without 
removing  his  hat  and  bowing  the  head.  A  miracle 
is  supposed  to  have  been  wrought  in  connection  with 
this  ])icture  of  the  Redeemer  at  the  time  when  the 
retreating  French  made  a  vain  attempt  to  blow  up  the 
buildings  of  the  Kremlin ;  hence  the  special  honor 
accorded  to  it.  The  gate  itself  was  erected  in  1491, 
and  is  like  the  main  tower  of  a  large  cathedral  or  an 
isolated  campanile.  It  is  painted  red,  with  green 
spires,  and   flanked  on  the  sides  by  small  chapels. 


TOWER   OF  I  VAX   THE   GREAT.  297 

The  National  Arinorv,  also  within  the  Avails,  is  of 
great  interest,  quite  unsurpassed  in  its  collection  of 
Oriental  arms,  but  those  of  all  nations  are  also  well 
represented.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Moscow  was 
in  the  olden  time  as  celebrated  for  the  excellence  of 
its  steel  weapons,  and  especially  for  the  temper  of  its 
sword  blades,  as  were  Toledo  and  Damascus.  In  the 
grand  courtyard  of  the  Kremlin,  near  that  pillar-like 
structure  the  Tower  of  Ivan,  hundreds  of  Napoleon's 
captured  cannon  lay  idly  on  the  earth,  recalling  the 
tragic  story  of  the  French  invasion ;  but  then  it  was 
remembered  that  the  French  have  also  at  Paris  their 
Column  of  Yendome,  the  encircling  bas-reliefs  of 
which  contain  the  metal  of  many  captured  Russian 
cannon.  So  while  scores  of  battle-torn  Muscovite 
flags  hang  aloft  in  the  church  of  the  Invalides  at  the 
French  capital,  the  tri-color  also  decks  the  walls  of 
Peter  and  Paul  in  the  fortifications  of  St.  Peters- 
burg,—  toys  in  "  that  mad  game  the  world  so  loves  to 
play,"  but,  alas  !  what  do  they  represent  but  condensed 
drops  of  blood  ? 

Opposite  the  Arsenal  stands  the  Senate  House  of 
Moscow,  the  High  Court  of  Appeals,  built  by  Cathe- 
line  II.  The  main  hall  is  of  great  capacity  and  mag- 
uificcnce;  the  whole  building  underwent  complete 
restoration  in  1866.  The  summit  of  the  Tower  of 
Ivan  the  Great,  erected  in  1600,  affords  a  widespread 
view  of  the  city  in  every  direction ;  and  perhaps  it 
may  be  said  to  be  the  best  that  can  be  obtained.  It 
is   one   of  the   most   conspicuous   structures   in   the 


298  DUE  NORTH. 

Kremlin,  standing  partially  by  itself,  and  is  seen  from 
a  long  distance  as  one  approaches  by  rail.  The  tower 
consists  of  five  stories,  and  is  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  in  height.  The  basement  and  three 
stories  above  it  are  octagonal,  the  last  cylindrical, 
the  whole  embracing  a  wild  confusion  of  design. 
Half-way  up  is  a  gallery  from  whence  the  former 
sovereigns  used  to  harangue  the  people.  The  lower 
story  is  a  chapel  dedicated  to  Saint  John,  while  tlie 
other  stories  contain  many  bells,  the  heaviest  of 
which,  we  were  told,  weighed  over  sixty  tons.  In 
the  upper  portion  there  is  a  chime  of  silver  bells 
which  daily  ring  forth  the  national  anthem  at  merid- 
ian. The  racket  and  din  produced  when  all  the  bells 
in  the  tower  are  rung  together,  as  they  are  on  Easter 
eve,  must  be  deafening. 

The  famous  King  of  Bells  of  which  we  have  all 
heard  so  much,  and  which  according  to  the  records 
was  tolled  at  the  birth  of  Peter  the  Great,  stands  near 
the  foot  of  the  Tower  of  Ivan.  It  is  broken,  but 
weighs  in  its  pi-esent  condition  nearly  four  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  pounds.  The  piece  broken  from 
its  side,  which  is  seen  close  at  hand,  weighs  eleven 
tons.  Tlic  height  of  the  bell  is  twenty-one  feet. 
When  it  was  cast  in  1730,  by  order  of  the  Empress 
Anne,  the  gold,  silver,  and  copper  consumed  in  the 
operation  weighed  ninety-one  hundred  and  twenty 
tons,  valued  at  the  royal  sum  of  half  a  million  dol- 
lars. History  tells  us  that  the  casting  took  place 
with  religious  ceremonies,  and  roval  ladies  vied  with 


THE   CATHEDRAL    OF   ST.    BASIL.  299 

one  another  in  throwing  their  golden  ornaments  into 
the  great  caldron  which  supplied  the  molten  metal. 
Doubtless  this  very  generosity  of  contribution  only 
served  to  impart  brittleuess  to  the  bell.  As  to  im- 
proving the  purity  of  tone,  modern  experience  shows 
that  foreign  metals,  however  pure  in  themselves, 
would  detract  from  that.  After  the  great  bell  fell 
from  the  supporting-tower,  —  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  which  is  supposed  to  have  stood  very  nearly 
over  the  spot  where  the  "bell  now  rests,  —  it  lay  buried 
in  the  earth  for  over  a  hundred  years,  until  it  was  dug 
up  and  placed  on  its  present  foundation  by  order  of  the 
late  Emperor  Nicholas  I.  As  we  stood  there  beside 
the  monster  bell,  a  shudder  passed  over  us  sufficiently 
visible  to  attract  the  observation  of  the  guide.  "  Is 
monsieur  cold  ? "  lie  asivcd.  "  No,  it  was  only  a  pass- 
ing thought  that  moved  us,"  was  the  reply.  "  Ah ! 
something  of  far-off  America  ?  "  he  suggested.  "  Nearer 
than  that,"  was  the  response.  "  It  was  the  recollec- 
tion of  that  terrible  fifty-three  thousand  pounds  of  bell- 
metal  which  swings  in  the  cupola  of  St.  Isaac's.  If  that 
comparatively  baby-bell  could  make  one  so  thoroughly 
uncomfortable,  what  might  not  this  giant  do  under  sim- 
ilar circumstances  !  "  It  is  doubtful,  however,  if  the 
guide  clearly  understood  to  what  the  author  referred. 

The  most  strikingly  fantastic  and  remarkable  struc- 
ture architecturally  in  all  Moscow  is  the  Cathedral 
of  St.  Basil,  which  is  absolutely  top-heavy  with  spires, 
domes,  and  minarets,  ornamented  in  the  most  irreg- 
ular and  unprecedented  manner.     Yet  as  a  whole  the 


300  DUE  NORTH. 

structure  is  not  inliarnionious  with  its  unique  sur- 
roundings, the  semi-Oriental,  semi-barbaric  atmos- 
phere in  which  it  stands.  It  is  not  within  the  walls 
of  the  Kremlin,  but  is  located  just  outside  and  near 
the  Redeemer's  Gate,  from  w^hich  point  the  best  view 
of  it  may  be  enjoyed.  No  two  of  its  towering  pro- 
jections are  alike,  either  in  height,  shape,  or  orna- 
mentation. The  coloring  throughout  is  as  various  as 
the  shape,  being  in  yellow,  green,  blue,  golden-gilt,  and 
silver.  Each  spire  and  dome  has  its  glittering  cross  ; 
and  when  the  sun  shines  upon  the  group,  it  is  like  the 
bursting  of  a  rocket  at  night  against  a  background  of 
azure  blue.  It  is  of  this  singular,  whimsical,  and  pic- 
turesque structure  that  the  story  is  told  how  Ivan  the 
Terrible  caused  the  architect's  eyes  to  be  blinded  for- 
ever when  his  work  was  completed  and  approved,  in 
order  that  he  might  never  be  able  to  produce  another 
temple  like  it.  The  reader  need  hardly  credit  the 
story  however,  since  it  has  been  attributed  to  so  many 
other  structures  and  individuals  as  greatly  to  impair 
its  application  in  this  instance.  Space  would  not  suf- 
fice us  were  we  to  attempt  to  describe  the  interior  of 
St.  Basil;  but  it  is  as  peculiar  as  is  the  exterior. 
Each  of  the  domes  and  towers  forms  the  apex  to  a 
separate  chapel,  so  that  the  cathedral  is  divided  into 
a  dozen  and  more  altars  dedicated  to  as  many  differ- 
ent saints.  The  interior  is  painted  throughout  in 
arabesque.  Napoleon  ordered  his  soldiers  to  destroy 
this  cathedral ;  but  fortunately,  in  the  haste  and  con- 
fusion attending  the  retreat  of  the  French  army,  the 


THE    TREASURY  OF   THE   KREMLIX.        COl 

command  was  not  executed.  While  looking  upon  St. 
Basil,  with  its  myriad  pinnacles  flashing-  in  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  it  was  natural  to  recall  Hawthorne's  quaint 
idea,  that  were  edifices  built  to  the  sound  of  music 
some  would  ai)pear  to  be  constructed  under  the  influ- 
ence of  grave  and  solemn  tones,  others,  like  this 
unique  temple,  to  have  danced  forth  to  light  fantastic 
airs  and  waltzes.  In  front  of  the  many-domed  cathe- 
dral is  a  circular  stone  from  whence  the  Tzars  of  old 
were  accustomed  to  proclaim  their  edicts ;  and  it  is 
also  known  as  the  Lobno^  Miesto,  that  is,  "  The  Place 
of  the  Skull,"  because  of  the  many  executions  that 
have  taken  place  upon  it.  Ivan  the  Terrible  rendered 
the  spot  infamous  by  the  series  of  executions  which 
he  ordered  to  take  place  here,  the  victims  being 
mostly  innocent  and  patriotic  persons  of  both  sexes. 
Here  Prince  Scheviref  was  impaled  by  order  of  this 
same  tyrant,  and  here  several  others  of  royal  birth 
were  recklessly  sacrificed.  In  looking  upon  St.  Basil 
one  is  almost  sure  to  be  reminded  of  the  Alhambra, 
in  Moorish  Grenada.  Notwithstanding  its  strangely 
conglomerate  character,  no  one  can  say  that  it  is 
not  symmetrical  and  justly  balanced  in  its  various 
lines;  still,  so  unreal  is  its  whole  as  to  seem  like  a 
creation  in  some  magic  Arabian  talc,  an  unsubstantial 
structure  of  the  imagination. 

The  Treasury  of  the  Kremlin,  erected  so  late  as 
1851,  is  a  historical  museum  of  crowns,  thrones,  state 
costumes,  and  royal  regalia  generally,  including  in  the 
latter  department  the  royal  robes  of  Peter  the  Great ; 


302  DUE  NORTH. 

also  liis  crown  in  which  there  are  about  nine  hundred 
large  diamonds,  and  that  of  his  widow  Catherine  I., 
which  contains  about  three  thousand  of  the  same  pre- 
cious stones,  besides  one  grand  ruby  of  extraordinary 
value.  One  comes  away  from  the  labyrinth  of  pala- 
ces, churches,  arsenals,  museums,  and  treasury  of  the 
citadel,  after  viewing  their  accumulation  of  riches, 
absolutely  dazed  and  entirely  surfeited.  Properly  to 
examine  the  Treasury  alone  would  require  many  days. 
It  is  a  marvel  of  accumulated  riches,  the  proud  spoils 
of  time.  Here  are  to  be  seen  the  crowns  of  many  now 
defunct  kingdoms,  such  as  those  of  Kazan,  Georgia, 
Astrakhan,  and  Poland, —  all  heavy  with  gold  and 
precious  stones.  The  crown-jewels  of  England  and 
Germany  combined  would  hardly  equal  in  value  these 
treasures.  The  most  venerable  of  the  crowns  which 
were  shown  us  here  is  that  of  Monomachus,  brought 
from  Byzantium  more  than  eight  hundred  years  ago. 
This  emblem  is  covered  with  jewels  of  the  choicest 
character,  among  which  are  steel-white  diamonds  and 
rubies  of  pigcon's-blood  hue,  such  as  do  not  iind  their 
way  into  jewellers'  shops  in  our  day.  Think  of  the 
centuries  this  vast  wealth  has  lain  idle  upon  these 
royal  crowns,  and  of  the  aggregate  sum  in  current 
money  which  it  represents ;  then  calculate  the  annual 
loss  of  interest,  say  at  three  per  cent  per  annum,  nnd 
the  result  will  reach  a  sum  approximating  to  the  amount 
of  the  National  debt  of  Great  Britain  ! 

While  viewing  the  varied    attractions   within   the 
walls  of  the  Kremlin  one  could  not  but  recall  a  page 


CHURCH   OF  OUR   SAVIOUR.  303 

from  history,  and  remember  the  brave,  heroic,  self- 
sacrificing  means  which  the  peoi)le  of  this  Asiatic  city 
adopted  to  repel  the  invading  and  victorious  enemy. 
It  was  an  act  of  sublime  desperation  to  place  the  torch 
within  the  sanctuary  of  Russia  and  to  destroy  all,  sa- 
cred and  ])rofane,  so  that  the  enemy  should  also  be  de- 
stroyed. It  was  a  deed  of  undaunted  patriotism,  and 
the  grandest  sacrifice  ever  made  to  national  honor  by 
any  people.  "  Who  would  have  thought  that  a  nation 
would  burn  its  own  capital  ?"  said  Napoleon. 

The  Church  of  our  Saviour  is  perhaps  one  of  the 
finest  as  it  is  also  the  most  modern  cathedral  in  the 
country,  its  snow-white  walls,  cai)ped  by  five  golden 
domes,  being  the  most  prominent  object  to  meet  the 
eye  as  one  looks  at  the  city  from  the  high  terrace  of 
the  Kremlin.  It  stands  upon  a  natural  rise  of  ground, 
a  plateau  overlooking  the  Bridge  of  Moskva  Ilckoi, 
quite  by  itself,  covering  seventy-three  thousand  square 
feet,  surrounded  by  open  grounds,  which  are  planted 
with  flowering  shrubs,  blooming  flowers,  and  thrifty 
young  trees.  Begun  in  1812  to  commemorate  the  de- 
liverance of  Moscow  from  the  French,  the  edifice  has 
but  just  been  completed.  It  is  in  the  Grasco-Byzantine 
style ;  the  top  of  the  cross  upon  the  centre  cupola  is 
three  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the  ground.  The 
foundation  is  of  granite,  but  the  entire  building  is 
faced  with  white  marble.  The  interior  is  gorgeously 
decorated  with  frescos  from  Bil)lical  and  Russian 
history,  and  is  dazzling  in  its  vast  richness  of  detail. 
The  interior  of  St.  Isaac's  at  St.  Petersburg  has  been 


304  DUE  NORTH. 

closely  imitated  in  some  important  particulars.  The 
entire  floor  is  of  marble,  and  the  walls  are  lined  with 
exquisite  varieties  of  the  same.  Here  on  the  25th  of 
December  is  annually  celebrated,  with  great  pomp  and 
ceremony,  the  retreat  of  the  French  invaders  from 
Russian  soil.  "  God  with  us,"  is  the  motto  sculptured 
over  the  grand  entrance  of  this  magnificent  temple, 
the  aggregate  cost  of  which  was  over  twelve  millions 
of  dollars. 

Lying  on  the  east  side  of  the  Kremlin  and  adjoining 
its  walls  is  a  section  of  the  city  also  enclosed  within 
high  walls,  known  as  the  Chinese  City.  It  is  a  queer 
division  of  the  metropolis,  with  towers  and  buttresses 
like  a  fortification,  called  by  the  Russians  "  Kitai 
Gorod."  Herein  assemble  the  thieves,  pickpockets, 
and  rogues  generally,  who  are  to  be  seen  throughout 
the  day  crowded  together  in  one  of  the  largest  squares, 
holding  a  sort  of  rag  fair  to  exchange  their  ill-gotten 
goods  with  one  another.  To  the  stranger  they  present 
the  aspect  of  a  reckless  mob,  composed  of  the  very 
dregs  of  the  population,  and  ready  to  engage  in  any 
overt  act.  Unmolested  by  the  police  they  busy  them- 
selves exchanging  old  boots  and  shoes,  half-worn 
clothing,  stolen  trifles,  and  various  articles  of  do- 
mestic use,  all  amid  a  deafening  hubbub.  The  entire 
district  is  not  however  given  up  to  this  "  racket," 
but  contains  some  fine  shops,  comfortable  dwellings, 
and  two  excellent  hotels,  as  Russian  hotels  are  rated. 
One  passes  through  this  section  in  approaching  the 
Redeemer's  Gate  from  the  east  side,  but  will  wiselv 


MANUFACTURES   OF  MOSCOW.  305 

avoid  all  pcisuiuil  contact  with  the  doubtful  denizens 
of  Rag  Fair. 

It  was  a  source  of  surjirise  to  tlie  author  to  find 
Moscow  so  great  a  manufacturing  centre,  more  than 
fifty  thousand  of  the  population  being  regularly  em- 
ployed in  manufacturing  establishments.  There  are 
over  a  hundred  cotton  mills  within  the  limits  of  the 
city,  and  between  fifty  and  sixty  woollen  mills ;  also 
thirty-three  silk  mills,  and  a  score  of  kindred  estab- 
lishments in  the  manufacturing  line.  It  appeared, 
however,  that  enterprise  in  this  direction  was  confined 
almost  entirely  to  textile  fabrics.  The  city  is  fast  be- 
coming the  centre  of  a  grand  railroad  system,  afford- 
ing the  means  of  rapid  and  easy  distribution  for  the 
several  products  of  these  mills,  and  there  is  reason  to 
anticipate  their  steady  increase. 


90 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

Domestic  Life  in  Moscow.  —  Oriental  Seclusion  of  Women.  —  The 
Foundling  Hospital.  —  A  Christian  Charity.  —  A  Metropolitan 
Centre.  —  City  Museum.  —  The  University.  —  Tea-Drinking.  — 
Pleasure  Gardens.  — Drosky  Drivers.  —  Riding-School.  — Theatres. 

—  Universal  Bribery.  —  Love  of  Country.  —  Russians  as  Linguists. 

—  Sparrow   Hill.  —  Petrofski   Park.  —  Muscovite   Gypsies.  —  Fast 
Life.  —  Intemperance.  —  A  Famous  Monastery.  —  City  Highways. 

—  Sacred  Pigeons.  —  Beggars. 


The  domestic  life  of  the  people  of  Moscow  (we 
speak  of  the  acknowledged  upper  class)  is  quite  Ori- 
ental in  its  character.  The  stranger,  no  matter  how 
well  he  comes  accredited,  when  he  visits  a  dwelling- 
house  is  hospitably  entertained,  as  hospitality  is  in- 
terpreted here  ;  but  it  is  by  the  master  only.  The 
ladies  of  the  household  ai'e  very  rarely  presented 
to  him,  and  are  seldom  seen  under  any  circumstances, 
even  the  opera  being  tolerated  at  Moscow  half  under 
protest,  on  account  of  its  bringing  ladies  into  a  more 
intimate  relation  with  the  world  at  large.  To  the  do- 
mestic caller  scalding  tea  is  served  in  tumblers,  with 
slices  of  lemon  floating  on  the  top ;  but  no  other  re- 
freshments arc  offered.  The  host  is  courteous,  he  in- 
vites you  to  drive  with  him,  and  seems  glad  to  show 
you  the  monuments  and  famous  localities,  and  to  give 
any  desired  information  ;  but  his  family,  harem-like, 


FOUNDLING   HOSPITAL  AT  MOSCOW.       307 

are  kept  out  of  sight.  Even  a  courteous  inquiry  as  to 
their  health  is  received  with  a  degree  of  surprise.  The 
hidies  of  Cairo  and  Constantinople  are  scarcely  more 
secluded.  This,  however,  may  be  termed  old  Russian 
style ;  young  Russia  is  improving  upon  Eastern  cus- 
toms, and  is  becoming  slowly  more  Europeanized. 
These  remarks  apply  less  to  St.  Petersburg  than  to 
Moscow.  As  the  Asiatic  comes  more  closely  in  con- 
tact with  Europeans  he  assimilates  with  their  manners 
and  customs,  and  women  assume  a  different  domestic 
relationship.  Thus  ladies  and  their  partially  grown- 
up children,  accompanied  by  husband  and  friends,  are 
not  infrequently  seen  driving  in  public  at  the  capital ; 
but  scarcely  ever  is  this  the  case  at  Moscow.  Indeed, 
we  saw  no  instance  of  it  here.  Men  were  seen  at  the 
public  places  of  amusement,  parks,  tea-gardens,  and 
the  like,  accompanied  by  women ;  but  they  were  not 
ladies,  nor  were  they  their  wives  or  daughters. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  and  important  institu- 
tions of  the  city  is  its  remarkable  Foundling  Hospital, 
which  is  conducted  by  the  Government  at  an  annual 
expense  of  five  millions  of  dollars.  The  royal  trea- 
sury appropriates  a  large  portion  of  this  sum  each 
year  to  its  support,  besides  which  it  is  most  liberally 
endowed  by  private  bequests.  The  building  which  is 
occupied  by  the  hospital,  or  rather  the  series  of  build- 
ings, forms  a  large  quadrangular  group  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Moskva,  half  a  mile  cast  of  the  Krem- 
lin. The  length  of  the  frontage  is  fully  a  thousand 
feet,  enclosing   finely-kept,   spacious    gardens   which 


308  DUE  NORTH. 

cover  several  acres  of  ground,  divided  between  pleas- 
ant paths,  greensward,  and  shadj  groves.  Here,  on 
a  sunny  afternoon  at  the  close  of  July,  the  author  saw 
between  fifteen  and  sixteen  hundred  infants  paraded 
ander  the  branches  of  the  trees,  sleeping  in  their  tiny 
cradles  or  in  the  sturdy  arms  of  the  country-bred 
nurses,  of  whom  there  were  over  five  hundred.  These 
were  all  wet-nurses,  each  hearty,  well-fed  peasant 
woman  being  expected  to  nurse  two  infants.  These 
women  were  all  clad  in  snow-white  cotton  gowns  and 
muslin  caps,  appearing  scrupulously  neat  and  clean, 
the  muslin  about  head  and  face  contrasting  strongly 
with  their  nut-brown  complexions.  Some  of  the  little 
ones  who  seemed  to  thrive  best  by  such  treatment 
are  fed  with  the  bottle,  while  careful  and  scientific 
care  is  afforded  to  each  and  all  alike.  Besides  three 
or  four  regular  attending  physicians,  the  arrangements 
are  presided  over  and  the  detail  carefully  carried  out 
by  a  corps  of  trained  matrons,  the  most  thorough 
order,  discipline,  and  system  being  observed  as  exist- 
ing in  every  department.  Just  within  the  garden  gate, 
at  the  main  entrance,  a  bevy  of  thirty  or  forty  children, 
rosy-cheeked,  bright-eyed  boys  and  girls,  not  over  six 
years  of  age,  were  amusing  themselves  in  childish 
games ;  but  they  came  instantly  to  us  with  smiling, 
happy  faces,  extending  their  little  hands  as  a  token  of 
welcome  to  the  stranger.  Selecting  any  one  of  these 
promising  children,  the  thought  occurred  how  proud 
many  a  rich  family  would  be  to  have  such  an  one  for 
its  riahtful  heir ;  and  then  we  wondered  what  might 


CAni-:   AXD   DISPOSAL    OF  FOUNDLINGS.     309 

be  the  future  of  these  graduating  from  here  under 
the  ban  of  a  clouded  parentage.  It  seems  that  a  few 
children  arc  retained  until  about  the  age  of  these, 
though  the  number  is  comparatively  small.  Their 
contented,  vigorous,  healthful  appearance  showed  how 
judicious  and  well-applied  must  be  the  system  that 
could  produce  such  physical  results. 

"  There  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  some  of  these 
boys  have  })rincely  blood  in  their  veins,"  said  our  in- 
telligent guide,  pointing  to  a  merry  group  who  were 
])laying  together.  "  Secrets  are  well  kept  in  Russia. 
They  will  be  cai'cfully  watched,  and  their  well-being 
indirectly  advanced.  By  and  by  they  may  get  into 
the  army,  and  be  gradually  promoted  if  they  are  de- 
serving, becoming  officers  by  a  favor  which  they  can- 
not analyze,  and  perhaps  finally  achieving  a  name  and 
filling  a  high  station.  We  have  many  such  instances 
in  the  army  and  civil  service,  —  men  filling  important 
positions,  of  whose  birth  and  early  antecedents  no 
questions  are  asked.  Sometimes  marked  and  special 
resemblances  may  possibl}'  lead  to  shrewd  surmises, 
but  no  one  gives  such  thoughts  the  form  of  words." 

This  institution  was  founded  by  Catherine  II.  in 
1762,  that  at  St.  Petersburg  having  been  established 
a  few  years  subsequent ;  but  the  latter  now  equals  the 
parent  establishment  both  in  size  and  in  the  impor- 
tance of  the  work  which  it  accomplishes.  The  aver- 
age receipt  of  infants  in  each  of  these  hospitals  is 
over  a  thousand  jier  month  at  the  present  time,  and 
perhai)s    eleven  hundred   would   be  even   nearer  the 


310  DUE  NORTH. 

aggregate.  The  hospitals  are  kept  open  night  and 
day.  No  infant,  whatever  its  condition,  is  ever  re- 
fused shelter,  good  care,  and  proper  nourishment. 
The  little  creatures  are  not  left  in  secret,  as  is  the 
case  in  most  similar  European  institutions,  or  by  un- 
known parties,  but  are  openly  received,  no  disguise 
whatever  attending  the  relinquishment.  Probably  one 
third  of  the  children  born  in  the  two  great  capitals  of 
this  country  are  illegitimate,  while  many  who  are  born 
of  married  parents  are  also  brought  here  because  of 
the  inability  of  their  natural  protectors  properly  to 
provide  for  them.  It  is  this  last  feature  which  leavens 
the  whole  system  in  the  eyes  of  the  million  ;  that  is  to 
say,  because  a  mother  is  seen  giving  up  her  child  here 
it  does  not  follow  that  it  is  illegitimate.  But  be  the 
individual  circumstances  what  they  may,  the  Govern- 
ment cheerfully  takes  charge  of  all  the  infants  that 
are  offered.  The  only  question  which  is  asked  of 
those  resigning  their  offspring  is  whether  it  has  been 
baptized  by  a  priest,  and  what  name  is  desired  to  be 
given  to  it.  The  little  one  is  then  registered  upon  the 
books  of  the  establishment,  and  a  metallic  number 
placed  about  its  neck,  never  to  be  removed  until  it  fi- 
nally leaves  the  charge  of  the  institution.  As  soon  as 
the  children  become  a  month  or  six  weeks  old  and  are 
considered  to  be  in  perfect  health,  they  are  given  in 
charge  of  country  people  who  have  infauts  of  their  own. 
These  peasants  are  paid  a  regular  weekly  stipend  for 
the  support  of  the  little  strangers,  rendering  an  ac- 
count monthly  of   their  charge,  which  must  also  be 


A    GREAT  CHRISTIAN  CHARITY.  311 

exhibited  in  person.  All  are  under  the  supervision  of 
a  visiting  committee,  or  bureau  of  matrons,  having  no 
other  occupation,  and  who  must  regularly  weigh  the 
children  and  enter  their  progress  or  otherwise  upon 
the  books  of  the  hospital,  an  account  being  opened 
[or  each  infant  received.  One  would  think  that 
among  such  large  numbers  as  are  accommodated 
monthly  confusion  would  ensue ;  but  so  perfect  is  the 
system  of  accounts,  that  any  child  can  be  promptly 
traced  and  its  present  and  past  antecedents  made 
known  upon  reasonable  application.  A  mother,  by 
l)roving  her  relationship  and  producing  the  receipt 
given  to  her  for  her  child,  can  at  any  time  up  to 
ten  years  of  age  reclaim  it,  first  proving  her  ability 
jiroperly  to  support  and  care  for  her  offspring.  If  a 
child  is  not  reclaimed  by  its  parents  at  ten  or  twelve 
years  of  age,  it  is  apprenticed  to  some  useful  occupa- 
tion or  trade,  and  in  the  meantime  has  been  regularly 
sent  to  school.  The  neatness,  system,  and  general 
excellence  observed  at  these  Foundling  Hospitals  is 
worthy  of  emulation  everywhere,  and  the  whole  plan 
seemed  to  us  to  be  a  great  Christian  charity,  though 
no  sensible  person  can  be  blind  to  the  fact  that  there 
are  two  sides  to  so  important  a  conclusion.  There 
are  many  political  economists  who  hold  that  such  a 
system  encourages  illegitimacy  and  vice.  A  late 
writer  upon  the  subject,  whose  means  of  observation 
may  have  been  much  more  extended  than  those  of  the 
author  of  these  pages,  has  spoken  so  decidedly  that  it 
is  but  ])ropcr  to  present  his  convictions  in  this  connec- 


312  DUE  NORTH. 

tion.  He  says :  "  Uiifortunntol\'  this  famous  refuge 
[the  establishment  in  Moscow]  has  corrupted  all  the 
villages  round  the  city.  Peasant  girls  who  have  for- 
gotten to  get  married  send  their  babies  to  the  institu- 
tion, and  then  offer  themselves  in  person  as  wet-nurses. 
Having  tattooed  their  offspring,  each  mother  contrives 
to  find  her  own,  and  takes  charge  of  it  by  a  private 
arrangement  with  the  nurse  to  whom  it  has  been 
officially  assigned.  As  babies  are  much  alike,  the 
authorities  cannot  detect  these  interchanges,  and  do 
not  attempt  to  do  so.  In  due  time  the  mother  returns 
to  her  village  with  her  own  baby,  whose  board  will  be 
well  paid  for  by  the  State  at  the  rate  of  eight  shillings 
per  month ;  and  perhaps  next  year  and  the  year  after 
she  will  begin  the  same  game  over  again." 

"We  were  informed  that  a  large  proportion  of  the 
boys  who  survive  become  farm-laborers,  and  tliat 
many  of  the  girls  are  trained  to  be  hospital  nurses ; 
others  are  apprenticed  to  factory  work.  If  any  of 
the  latter  become  married  at  or  before  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen, the  State  furnislies  them  with  a  modest  trousseau. 
Up  to  the  period  of  eighteen  years,  both  sexes  are 
considered  to  be  "  on  the  books  of  the  institution," 
as  it  is  termed,  and  to  be  amenable  to  its  direction. 
When  the  young  men  arrive  at  this  age,  they  are 
furnished  with  a  good  serviceable  working-suit  of 
clothes,  and  also  a  better  suit  for  holiday  wear,  to- 
gether witli  thirty  ronbh^s  in  money.  These  gratui- 
ties serve  as  a  premium  upon  good  behavior  and  obedi- 
ence to  autliority.     One  sad  feature  of  the  system  was 


ISOLATION  OF  MOSCOW.  313 

admitted  by  the  oflleials,  and  that  is  the  hirgc  percen- 
tage of  the  mortality  which  seems  inevitable  among 
the  infants.  Notwithstanding  every  effort  to  reduce 
the  aggregate  of  deaths,  still  it  is  estimated  as  high 
as  seventy  per  cent ;  or  in  other  words,  not  more  than 
thirty  out  of  each  hundred  admitted  to  the  Foundling 
Hospitals  live  to  the  age  of  twent\-une  years.  This 
heavy  loss  of  life  is  traceable  in  a  large  degree  to 
hereditary  disease,  not  to  the  want  of  suitable  treat- 
ment after  the  children  come  into  the  charge  of  the 
institution. 

Moscow  is  isolated  in  a  degree,  having  no  populous 
neighborhood  or  suburb.  The  forest  and  the  plain 
creep  up  to  its  very  walls ;  outlying  villages  and  in- 
creasing population  generally  announce  the  approach 
to  large  cities  ;  but  both  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow 
are  peculiar  in  this  respect.  This  city,  however,  as 
we  have  before  remarked,  is  gradually  becoming  the 
centre  of  a  great  net-work  of  railways,  like  Chicago ; 
and  therefore  the  characteristic  referred  to  must  grad- 
ually disappear.  It  is  built  like  Rome  ui)on  seven 
hills,  and  is  the  culminating  point  of  Russian  as  that 
capital  is  of  Italian  history.  Wliile  8t.  Petersburg 
is  European,  and  annually  growing  to  be  more  so, 
Moscow  is  and  must  continue  to  be  Asiatic.  As  one 
gazes  about  him,  the  grandeur,  sadness,  and  vicissi- 
tudes of  its  past,  not  exceeded  by  that  of  any  other 
capital  in  the  world,  crowd  upon  the  memory.  In 
portions  the  confusion  evinced  in  its  composition  of 
squares,  streets,  avenues,  and  narrow  lanes  is  almost 


314  DUE  NORTH. 

ludicrous  and  quite  bewildering.  There  are  no  long 
uniform  lines  of  architecture,  like  those  of  the  capital 
on  the  Neva.  Miserable  hovels,  dirty  court-yards,  and 
vile-smelling  stables  break  the  lines  everywhere  after 
one  leaves  the  principal  thoroughfares,  and  not  infre- 
quently even  upon  them.  The  barbarous  as  well  as 
the  semi-civilized  aspect  is  ever  present.  Mosque, 
temple,  triumphal-arch,  cabins,  campaniles,  convents, 
and  churches  mingle  heterogeneously  together,  as 
though  they  had  dropped  down  indiscriminately  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Moskva  without  selection  of  site. 
After  the  great  conflagration  of  1812  the  object  must 
have  been  to  build,  and  to  do  so  quickly.  This  was 
evidently  done  without  any  properly  concerted  plan, 
since  there  is  not  a  straight  street  in  all  Moscow. 
Around  the  barriers  of  the  city  however  there  extends 
a  boulevard,  which  occupies  the  site  of  the  old  line 
of  fortifications,  which  is  decked  with  grassy  slopes, 
limes,  maples,  and  elms,  forming  an  attractive  drive. 

The  Moscow  Museum  is  a  modern  establishment, 
but  is  rapidly  growing  in  importance.  Here  one  can 
study  comprehensively  the  progress  of  art  and  science 
in  Russia  during  the  past  century,  the  chronological 
arrangement  being  excellent,  and  copied  after  the 
system  inaugurated  for  a  similar  purpose  at  Copen- 
hagen. The  Museum  occupies  a  fine  building  near 
the  new  Cathedral  of  Our  Saviour,  formerly  the  pa- 
latial residence  of  the  Pashkof  family.  Its  library 
.ilready  exceeds  two  hundred  thousand  bound  vol- 
umes,  and    is   especially    rich    in   rare   and    ancient 


RUSSIA X   CONSUMP'J'JUX   UF   TEA.  olo 

mamisci'ii)ts.  The  excellent  and  scientific  arrange- 
ment of  this  entire  establishment  was  a  source  of 
agreeable  surprise.  The  fine-arts  department  pre- 
sents some  choice  paintings  and  admirable  statuary, 
both  ancient  and  modern ;  while  the  zoological  col- 
lection contains  much  of  interest.  The  favorite  seat 
of  learning  is  the  Moscow  University,  founded  by  the 
Empress  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Peter  the  Great,  in 
1755 ;  its  four  principal  faculties  being  those  of  His- 
tory, Physics,  Jurisprudence,  and  Medicine.  It  is  a 
State  institution,  under  the  immediate  control  of  the 
Minister  of  Public  Instruction.  At  this  writing,  the 
University  has  some  two  thousand  students.  The 
terms  of  admission,  as  regards  cost  to  the  i)ui)ils,  are 
merely  nominal,  the  advantages  being  open  to  all 
youth  above  seventeen,  who  can  pass  a  satisfactory 
examination.  Here  also  is  another  large  and  valu, 
able  library  open  to  the  public,  aggregating  over  two 
hundred  thousand  bound  volumes.  This  liberal  mul- 
tiplication of  educational  advantages  in  the  very 
heart  of  Oriental  Russia  is  an  evidence  of  gradual 
progress,  which  tells  its  own  story. 

It  seemed  especially  odd  that  a  people  who  di-ink 
so  profusely  of  fermented  liquors,  should  also  drink 
so  much  tea.  It  may  be  doul)tcd  if  even  the  Japanese 
exceed  them  in  the  consumption  of  this  beverage,  and 
it  is  certain  that  the  latter  peo])le  use  more  tea  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  inhabitants  than  do  the 
Chinese.  At  Moscow  tea-drinking  is  carried  to  the 
extreme.     The  traktirs,  or  tea-houses,  can  be  found 


316  DUE  NORTH. 

on  every  street,  and  are  crowded  day  and  evening  by 
people  who  in  summer  sit  and  perspire  over  tlie 
steaming  decoction,  while  they  talk  and  chatter  like 
monkeys.  The  stranger  drops  in  to  see  native  life, 
manners,  and  customs,  while  he  sips  scalding  tea  like 
tlie  rest,  and  listens  to  the  music  of  the  large  organ 
which  generally  forms  a  part  of  the  furniture,  and 
which  when  wound  up  will  discourse  a  score  or  more 
of  popular  waltzes,  airs,  and  mazurkas.  These  remark- 
able musical  instruments  are  manufactured  especially 
for  this  region,  and  frequently  cost,  as  we  were  told, 
a  thousand  pounds  sterling  each.  The  habitu(^s  are 
from  all  classes  of  the  populace,  soldiers,  civilians, 
priests,  and  peasants,  —  these  last,  slow,  slouching, 
and  shabby,  with  no  coverings  to  their  heads,  except 
such  an  abundant  growth  of  coarse  sun-bleached  hair 
as  to  suggest  a  weather-beaten  hay-stack,  "redun- 
dant locks,  robustious  to  no  purpose."  These  peas- 
ants, mechanics,  and  common  laborers,  thougli  they 
drink  tumbler  after  tumbler  of  nearly  boiling  hot  tea, 
are  only  too  apt  to  wind  up  their  idle  occupation  by 
getting  disgracefully  tipsy  on  that  fiery  liquor  corn- 
brandy,  as  colorless  as  water,  but  as  pungent  as 
aqua-fortis.  To  the  tea-gardens  in  the  immediate  envi- 
rons both  sexes  resort,  and  here  one  sees  a  very  pleas- 
ant phase  of  Russian  life,  —  tea-drinking  en  famille 
among  the  middle  classes.  The  article  itself  is  of  a 
superior  quality,  much  more  delicate  in  flavor  than 
that  which  is  used  in  England  or  America ;  but  it  is 
never  made  so  strong  as  we  are  accustomed  io  take  it. 


SUMMER    TEA-dAIlDEXS   IN  MOSCOIV.      317 

Happy  family  groups  may  be  seen  gathered  about  the 
burnished  urns  in  retired  nooks,  and  even  love-epi- 
sodes are  now  and  then  to  be  witnessed,  occurring  over 
the  steaming  beverage.  Tiiese  gardens  are  decorated 
in  the  summer  evenings  with  the  gayest  of  colored 
paper  lanterns,  —  the  flickering,  airy  lamps  festooned 
among  the  tall  trees  and  the  low  shrubbery,  as  they 
sway  hither  and  thither,  resembling  clouds  of  huge 
fire-flies,  floating  at  evening  over  a  tropical  planta- 
tion. There  are  also  exhibitions  nightly  of  fancy 
fire-works,  minor  theatricals,  and  comic  song-singing. 
Tramways  lead  from  the  centre  of  the  town  to  these 
popular  resorts,  or  a  drosky  will  take  one  thither  at 
a  mere  trifling  charge.  The  drosky  drivers  of  Moscow 
appear  to  be  one  degree  more  stupid  than  those  of  St. 
Petersburg,  impossible  as  that  may  seem.  Like  the 
cochcr  of  Paris  they  all  expect  and  ask  for  a  pour- 
boire.  In  the  capital  on  the  Neva  the  driver  sug- 
gests "Xa  tchai"  (tea),  as  you  hand  him  his  fare, — 
that  is,  he  desires  a  few  pennies  to  procure  a  drink 
of  tea ;  but  in  Moscow  the  driver  says  more  honestly, 
"Xa  vodka"  (brandy).  And  yet  there  are  many  who 
are  satisfied  with  the  milder  decoction,  and  will  sit 
and  sip  it  as  long  as  any  one  will  pay  for  it,  —  recalling 
the  jinrikisha  men  of  Yokohama,  who  seemed  to  have 
no  desire  for  any  stimulant  but  boiling  hot  tea,  and 
plenty  of  it.  The  drosky  drivers  of  Moscow  dress  all 
alike,  and  precisely  like  their  brethren  in  the  capital, 
in  lonu'  lilue  padded  pelisses,  summer  and  winter, 
with    a    low    bell-crowned   hat,  from   beneath   wliich 


318  DUE  NORTH. 

protrudes  an  abundance  of  carrot^colored  hair,  of  the 
consistency  of  dried  meadow-grass. 

It  will  interest  the  traveller  to  visit  briefly  the  great 
National  Riding-School  of  Moscow,  a  building  embra- 
cing an  area  of  five  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long  by  one 
liundred  and  fifty-eight  feet  wide.  It  is  covered  with 
Avhat  appears  to  be  a  flat  roof,  but  is  without  support- 
ing pillars  of  any  sort  on  the  inside.  A  full  regiment 
of  cavalry  can  be  exercised  here  with  perfect  conveni- 
ence. This  was  the  largest  building  in  the  world  un- 
supported by  prop  of  any  kind,  until  the  St.  Pancras 
railway  station  was  built  in  London.  The  interior  is 
ornamented  with  bas-reliefs  of  men  in  armor  and  with 
ancient  trophies.  By  ascending  a  winding  staircase 
one  can  see  the  net-work  of  massive  beams  which 
sustain  the  roof,  a  perfect  forest  of  stays  and  rafters. 
In  a  chmate  such  as  prevails  here  at  least  two  thirds 
of  the  year,  it  is  impossible  to  manoeuvre  troops  in 
the  open  air  with  any  degree  of  comfort,  not  to  say 
safety ;  hence  this  structure  was  raised  and  supplied 
with  huge  stoves  to  afford  the  means  of  exercising 
the  troops  even  in  mid-winter. 

Moscow  has  four  theatres,  two  only  of  which  are 
wortliy  of  the  traveller's  notice.  These  are  the  Bot- 
shoi  and  the  Italian  Opera,  where  only  entertainments 
of  a  high  order  of  merit  are  permitted  to  be  given. 
In  many  of  the  gay  cafds  young  girls  of  free  manners 
and  lax  morals  dance  in  national  costumes,  among 
whom  one  easily  recognizes  those  coming  from  CircaS' 
sia.  Poland,  Litliiumin,  and  the  country  of  the  Cossacks. 


VENALITY   OF  RL'SSrAX   OFFICIALS.        319 

In  tlu'ii-  (lances  and  fri'onping  they  present  scenes 
that  do  not  lack  for  picturesqueness  of  effect.  Most 
of  the  melodies  one  hears  at  these  places  are  quaint 
and  of  local  origin,  quite  new  to  the  ear ;  though  now 
and  again  a  familiar  strain  will  occur,  indicating 
from  whence  Chopin  and  others  have  borrowed.  Some 
of  the  performers  were  so  strikingly  handsome  as  to 
show  that  their  personal  charms  had  been  the  fatal 
cause  which  had  brought  them  into  so  exposed  a  con- 
nection as  these  public  resorts  of  evil  repute.  The 
Bohemian  or  gypsy  girls  were  the  most  attractive, 
—  poor  creatures  coming  from  no  one  knows  where, 
wanderers  from  their  birth,  and  with  lives  ever  en- 
veloped in  mystery.  One  could  not  but  recall  the 
Latin  Quarter  of  Paris  and  the  gay,  dissipated  niglit- 
rcsorts  of  London  and  Vienna.  None  of  the  European 
capitals  are  without  these  dark  spots  upon  the  escutch- 
eon of  civilization. 

The  author's  observation  in  Cu1)a  and  continental 
Spain  had  led  him  to  believe  the  dishonesty  of  Spanish 
officials  to  be  quite  unequalled  ;  but  the  Russians  far 
exceed  the  Spaniards  in  the  matter  of  venality.  The 
last  war  between  Russia  and  Turkey  brought  to  light 
official  fraud  and  briberies,  connected  especially  with 
the  commissary  department  of  the  army,  wliich  dis- 
graced the  whole  nation  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  Ex- 
periences of  so  outrageous  and  startling  a  character 
were  related  to  us,  illustrative  of  these  facts,  as  to  al- 
most challenge  belief,  had  they  not  been  sustained  by 
reliable  authority.     So  extensive  and  universal  is  the 


320  DUE   NORTH. 

system  of  bribery  in  Russia,  that  the  question  of  right 
in  ordinary  matters,  even  when  brought  before  the 
courts  for  decision,  scarcely  enters  into  the  considera- 
tion. It  is  first  and  last  purely  a  question  of  roubles. 
Counterfeit  justice  is  as  plentifully  disbursed  as 
counterfeit  money,  and  that  does  much  abound.  To 
prove  that  this  system  of  official  bribery  is  no  new 
thing  here,  and  that  it  is  perfectly  well  known  at  head- 
quarters, we  have  only  to  relate  a  well-authenticated 
anecdote.  A  chief  officer  of  police,  who  was  one  day 
dashing  along  the  Nevsky  Prospect  in  a  handsome 
drosky  drawn  by  a  fine  pair  of  horses,  was  met  by  the 
Emperor  Nicholas.  His  Majesty  by  a  sign  stopped 
the  officer,  and  inquired  of  him  what  salary  he  received 
from  the  government  treasury.  "  Two  thousand  rou- 
bles, your  Majesty,"  was  the  reply.  Whereupon  the 
Tzar  asked  how  he  contrived  to  own  and  keep  such  a 
smart  equipage  upon  that  sum.  "  By  presents,  your 
Majesty,  that  I  receive  from  the  people  of  my  district," 
was  the  frank  rejoinder.  The  Emperor  laughed  at  so 
straightforward  an  answer,  adding :  "  I  believe  that 
I  live  in  your  quarter,  and  have  neglected  sending  you 
my  present,"  at  the  same  time  handing  him  his  purse. 
The  existence  of  a  system  of  bribery  among  the  officials 
of  the  various  departments  was  only  too  well  known 
to  the  Tzar ;  but  such  plain  speaking  was  a  novelty. 

A  love,  not  to  say  ])ride,  of  country-seems  to  be  uni- 
versal among  the  people  at  large,  in  spite  of  all  that 
may  be  said  or  inferred  to  the  contrary.  No  matter 
how  poor  the  land  may  seem  to  the  stranger,  to  the 


RUSSIAXS  NATURAL   LINGUISTS.  321 

native-born  it  is  beautiful,  or  at  all  events  it  is  well 
beloved  ;  no  disparagement  will  be  permitted  for  a 
moment.  It  was  amusing  to  observe  the  local  rivalry 
existing  between  the  citizens  of  Moscow  and  St.  Peters- 
burg. The  latter  are  regarded  by  the  former  as  par 
venus,  lacking  the  odor  of  sanctity  that  adheres  to  the 
citizens  of  "  holy  Moscow."  The  more  ancient  metro- 
polis has  ever  had  a  quasi  official  recognition  as  the 
capital,  though  it  is  not  so  politically.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  in  1724,  but  a  few  months  before  his 
death,  even  Peter  the  Great  celebrated  the  coronation 
of  his  wife  Catherine  at  Moscow,  not  at  St.  Peters- 
burg ;  and  to  this  day  it  has  been  the  crowning  place 
of  all  his  successors.  So  far  as  the  hearts  of  the 
people  are  concerned,  Moscow  is  their  capital. 

We  often  hear  surprise  expressed  that  Russians 
who  visit  other  countries  are  generally  such  accom- 
plished linguists  ;  but  this  is  very  easily  accounted  for 
when  we  remember  that  in  every  noble  or  wealthy 
family  of  St.  Petersburg  or  Moscow  there  is  a  German 
nurse  for  the  young  children,  an  English  governess 
for  the  young  ladies,  and  a  French  tutor  for  them  all. 
Emulating  those  of  more  pretension  and  wealth,  the 
same  custom  extends  to  the  class  of  successful  mer- 
chants' families ;  so  that  the  average  Russian  grows 
up  speaking  two  or  three  languages  besides  his  native 
tongue.  Life  is  much  less  cosmopolitan  here  than  in 
St.  Petersburg.  Few  emigrants  from  the  far  East 
stop  in  Moscow  ;  they  press  on  to  the  more  European 
and  commercial  city,  where  Tartars  from  Kazan, 
21 


322  DUE  NORTH. 

Adighes  from  the  Caucasus,  Swedes  and  Norwegians 
from  Scandinavia,  Finlanders  from  the  North,  and 
Germans  from  the  South  mingle  together.  In  poUte 
society  French  is  the  language  of  St.  Petersburg, 
while  German  is  much  in  use  among  the  mercantile 
community ;  but  in  IVIoscow  it  is  the  native  tongue 
which  prevails,  as  well  as  Oriental  manners  and 
customs. 

A  drive  of  about  three  miles  from  the  city  over  a 
wretchedly  kept  road,  where  the  ruts  are  positively 
terrible,  brings  one  to  Sparrow  Hill,  the  point  from 
whence  Napoleon  first  looked  upon  the  devoted  city. 
"There  is  the  famous  city  at  last,  and  it  is  high 
time,"  said  Napoleon.  He  had  left  the  battlefield  of 
Borodino  covered  with  corpses  forty  miles  behind. 
But  what  cared  the  ravaging  warrior  for  the  eighty 
thousand  lives  there  sacrificed  ?  It  was  this  terrible 
encounter  which  caused  him  to  say  emjjhatically, 
"  One  more  such  victory  would  be  utter  ruin!"  From 
this  elevation  the  invading  host  pressed  forward  and 
entered  tlie  Muscovite  capital,  to  find  the  streets  de- 
serted, the  public  buildings  stripped  of  all  valuables, 
and  the  national  archives  removed.  There  were  no 
officials  with  whom  to  treat ;  it  was  like  a  city  of  the 
dead.  This  unnatural  solitude  gave  birth  to  gloomy 
forebodings  in  the  hearts  of  the  invaders,  —  forebod- 
ings which  were  more  than  justified  by  the  final  result 
of  that  wholly  unwarranted  campaign.  Soon  at  va- 
rious jjoints  the  conflagration  of  the  city  began.  If 
subdued  here  and  there  by  the  French  it  broke  out 


SPARROW  HILL.  323 

elsewhere,  and  at  last  became  uncontrollable.  Najw- 
leon  entered  Moscow  on  the  fifteenth  of  September 
and  left  it  in  ashes  on  the  nineteenth  of  October, 
when  tlicre  began  a  retreat  which  was  undoubtedly 
one  of  the  greatest  tragedies  of  modern  times.  Half 
a  million  men  in  the  flower  of  their  youth  had  in  a 
brief  six  months  been  sacrificed  to  the  mad  ambition 
of  one  individual. 

At  Sparrow  Hill  are  many  cafds  where  the  native 
population  come  to  drink  tea,  and  where  foreigners 
partake  of  cheap,  flat  Moscow  beer  and  other  simple 
refreshments.  From  here  a  notable  view  is  to  be 
enjoyed,  embracing  the  ancient  capital  in  the  dis- 
tance ;  and  it  is  this  charming  picture  which  most 
attracts  strangers  to  the  spot.  The  broad  river  forms 
the  foreground,  flowing  through  fertile  meadows  and 
highly  cultivated  fields.  When  we  saw  it  vegetation 
was  at  its  prime,  a  soft  bright  green  carpeting  the 
banks  of  the  Moskva,  while  the  plain  was  wooded 
with  thriving  groves  up  to  the  convent  walls  and  out- 
lying buildings  of  the  town.  Just  back  of  the  tea- 
houses, crowning  the  hill,  is  an  ancient  birch  forest 
which  was  planted  by  Peter  the  Great,  the  practical 
old  man  having  occupied  many  days  in  consummat- 
ing this  purpose,  during  which  he  worked  laboriously 
among  his  people,  setting  out  and  arranging  the 
birches.  The  local  guides  never  fail  to  take  all  trav- 
ellers wlio  visit  the  Muscovite  city  to  Sparrow  Hill, 
where  it  is  quite  the  thing  to  drink  a  tumbler  of 
steaming  hot  Russian  tea,  with  the  universal  slice  of 


324  DUE  NORTH. 

lemon  floating  thereon.  This  tasteless  decoction 
has  not  even  the  virtue  of  strength,  but  is  mcrelv 
hot  water  barely  colored  with  an  infusion  of  leaves. 
However,  as  it  is  quite  the  thing  to  do,  one  swallows 
the  mixture  heroically.  A  more  pleasant  drive  of 
about  four  or  five  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  city, 
over  a  far  better  road  than  that  which  leads  to 
Sparrow  Hill,  will  take  the  stranger  to  a  most  de- 
lightful place  of  resort  known  as  the  Petrofski  Park, 
ornamented  with  noble  old  elms  in  great  variety, 
flower-beds,  blooming  shrubbery,  fountains,  and  de- 
lightfully smooth  roads.  The  lime,  the  elm,  the  syca- 
more, and  the  oak  all  flourish  here,  mingled  with  which 
were  some  tall  specimens  of  the  pine  and  birch.  The 
place  is  the  very  embodiment  of  sylvan  beauty,  and 
has  been  devoted  to  its  present  purpose  for  a  century 
and  more,  having  first  been  laid  out  in  1775.  Within 
these  grounds  is  the  interesting  old  Palace  of  Petrof- 
ski, a  Gothic  structure  which,  though  seldom  inhab- 
ited, is  kei)t  always  prepared  for  noble  guests  by  a 
corps  of  retainers  belonging  to  the  Government.  It 
is  frequently  the  resort  of  the  Emperor  when  he 
comes  to  Moscow,  and  always  the  place  from  whence 
a  new  emperor  proceeds  to  the  Kremlin  to  be  offi- 
cially crowned.  It  was  to  this  palace  that  Napoleon 
fled  from  his  quarters  in  the  city  when  Moscow  was 
being  destroyed  by  the  flames.  The  cafes  cJiantants 
are  many,  within  the  precincts  of  the  Park, —  gay 
resorts  of  dissipation,  whither  the  people  come  osten- 
siblv  to  drink  tea,  but  really  to  consume  beer,  wine, 


THE   GYPSIES   OF  RUSSIA.  325 

and  corn-brandy,  as  well  as  to  assist  at  the  often- 
times very  coarse  entertainments  wliich  are  here 
presented,  characterized  by  the  most  reckless  sort 
of  can-can  dancing  and  bacchanalian  songs.  Bands 
of  music  perform  in  different  parts  of  the  extensive 
grounds,  and  gaudily-dressed  gypsy  girls  sing  and 
dance  after  their  peculiar  and  fantastic  style.  One 
detects  fine  vocal  ability  now  and  then  exhibited  by 
these  wayward  creatures,  which  by  patient  culture 
might  be  developed  into  great  excellence.  The  sing- 
ing of  these  girls  is  quite  unlike  such  performances 
generally, —  not  particularly  harmonious,  but  bearing 
the  impress  of  wild  feeling  and  passionate  emotion. 
Many  of  the  performers  are  of  a  marked  and  weird 
style  of  beauty,  and  such  are  pretty  sure  to  wear 
jewelry  of  an  intrinsic  value  far  beyond  the  reach  of 
honest  industry,  —  which  forms  a  glaring  tell-tale 
of  their  immodesty. 

The  gypsy  race  of  Russia,  to  whom  these  itinerants 
belong,  are  of  the  same  Asiatic  origin  as  those  met 
with  in  southern  Europe  ;  no  country  has  power  to 
change  their  nature,  no  association  can  refine  them. 
They  will  not  try  to  live  by  honest  labor  ;  everywhere 
they  are  acknowledged  outcasts,  and  it  is  their  nature 
to  grovel  like  animals.  The  cunning  instinct  of  theft 
is  born  in  them  ;  adroitness  in  stealing  they  consider  to 
be  a  commendable  accomplishment,  —  parents  teach 
it  to  their  children.  They  are  wanderers  wherever 
found,  begging  at  one  country-house  and  stealing  at 
the  next  ;  in  summer  sleeping  on  the  grass,  in  winter 


326  DUE  NORTH. 

digging  holes  and  burrowing  in  the  ground.  They 
are  called  in  central  Russia  "  Tsiganie,"  and  they 
group  together  in  largest  numbers  in  and  about  the 
Eastern  Steppe,  just  as  those  of  Spain  do  at  Grenada 
and  near  to  the  Alhambra.  All  kindly  efforts  of  the 
Russian  government  to  civilize  these  land-rovers  has 
utterly  failed ;  not  infrequently  it  becomes  necessary 
to  invade  their  quarters,  and  to  visit  condign  punish- 
ment upon  the  tribe  by  sabre  and  bullet,  to  keep  them 
within  reasonable  bounds.  Quite  a  colony  of  gypsies 
inhabit  a  certain  portion  of  Moscow,  having  adopted 
the  local  dress,  and  also  conformed  ostensibly  to  the 
conventionalities  about  them ;  but  they  never  in  real- 
ity amalgamate  with  other  races,  —  they  are  far  more 
clannish  than  the  Jews.  Both  the  men  and  women 
ply  trades  which  will  not  bear  investigation  or  the  light 
of  day.  The  former  make  an  open  business  of  horse- 
trading,  and  the  latter  of  public-dancing,  singing,  and 
fortune-telling.  Belonging  to  this  community  is  a 
small  body  of  singers  who  practise  together,  and  who 
arc  cm[)loyed  at  all  public  festivals  in  the  city, —  which 
would,  indeed,  be  considered  quite  incomplete  without 
them.  This  choir  consists  of  six  or  eight  female 
voices  and  four  male,  capable  of  affording  a  very 
original  if  not  quite  harmonious  performance. 

As  regards  the  Pctrofski  Park,  the  truth  is  it  is 
a  famous  resort  for  reckless  pleasure-seekers,  and 
largely  made  up  of  the  demi-monde,  where  scenes 
anything  but  decorous  are  presented  to  the  eyes  of 
stranijers  durincr  the  afternoons  and  the  lono;  summer 


THE   SABBATH  MARKET.  327 

twilight.  But  those  wlio  wish  to  sec  and  study  "  life," 
fast  life,  have  only  to  visit  the  Chateaux  des  Flcurs, 
or  Marina-Rostcha,  which  are  also  m  the  environs  of 
the  town.  As  in  Vienna,  Berlin,  and  Paris,  the  po- 
,  lice,  who  cannot  suppress  these  resorts,  strive  to  con- 
trol them  so  far  that  they  shall  not  outrage  openly  the 
conventionalities  of  society.  Human  nature  is  much 
the  same  all  over  the  world,  though  its  coarsest  fea- 
tures are  more  obtruded  upon  observation  in  some 
lands  than  in  others.  In  extensive  travel  and  expe- 
rience, the  author  has  learned  that  it  is  not  always 
in  semi-barbarous  countries  that  grossness  and  inde- 
cency will  be  found  most  to  prevail.  It  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  there  are  temples  of  vice  in  Moscow  which 
for  ingenuity  of  temptation,  and  lavish  and  gilded  dis- 
play, are  not  equalled  elsewhere  in  Europe. 

Under  the  shadow  of  the  spacious  and  lofty  tower 
which  forms  a  reservoir  for  the  distribution  of  water 
for  the  domestic  use  of  the  citizens,  there  is  held  in 
the  open  square  each  Sabbath  day  what  is  called  "  The 
Market,"  but  which  might  better  be  designated  a 
weekly  fair,  a  sort  of  Nijni-Xovgorod  upon  a  small 
scale.  Here  Jew  and  Gentile,  Asiatic  and  European, 
exchange  their  goods  or  sell  to  the  citizens.  There 
are  confectioners,  jewellers,  clothiers,  hard-ware  mer- 
chants, dried-fruit  venders,  fancy-dry-good  dealers,  tea- 
booths,  tin  and  earthenware  tables,  —  in  short,  every 
domestic  article  that  can  be  named  is  here  offered  for 
sale.  The  crowd  is  great,  the  Babel  of  voices  deafen- 
ing, the  hustling  incessant,  occasional  quarrels  being 


328  DUE   NORTH. 

inevitable.  Now  one  meets  a  group  of  courteous,  well- 
dressed  people,  now  an  itinerant  in  rags,  now  a  bevy 
of  boisterous  girls  and  boys,  now  a  long-haired  and 
bearded  priest;  some  are  sober,  many  are  drunk. 
Alas !  Sunday  is  here  a  day  of  drunkenness.  Speak- 
ing plainly  upon  this  subject,  there  are  more  intoxi- 
cated persons  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  of  Moscow  on 
the  Sabbath  than  the  author  has  ever  encountered 
upon  any  day  of  the  week  in  any  other  capital.  At 
this  Sunday-fair  articles  are  offered  at  popular  prices, 
presumed  to  be  much  lower  than  is  charged  by  regular 
merchants  who  have  rent  to  pay  and  large  establish- 
ments to  keep  up.  Upon  this  conviction  the  poorer 
classes  especially  throng  hither  to  purchase  such  arti- 
cles as  they  require,  making  the  scene  one  of  great 
activity  and  general  interest.  The  tall  tower  of  the 
water-supply  w^as  not  originally  intended  for  the  use 
to  which  it  has  at  last  been  appropriated.  It  was  first 
erected  by  the  Tzar  Peter  to  mark  the  nortlicastern 
gate  of  the  town,  which  was  held  by  one  faithful  regi- 
ment when  the  rest  revolted.  This  same  regiment 
escorted  him  and  his  mother  for  safety  to  the  Troitzkoi 
Monastery,  situated  thirty  miles  from  the  city,  and 
which  is  considered  to-day  as  the  holy  of  holies  so  far 
as  monasteries  are  concerned  in  Russia.  Hither  the 
Empress  Catherine  11.  made  the  pilgrimage  on  foot  to 
fulfil  some  conditional  vow,  accompanied  by  all  her 
court,  only  advancing,  however,  five  miles  each  day, 
and  not  forgetting  to  have  every  possible  luxury  con- 
veved  in  her  train  wherewith  to  refresh  herself.     It 


THE    TROITZKOI    MOXASTEllY.  329 

will  be  reniriubercd  that  Napoleon  in  his  usual  rash- 
ness had  planned  to  destroy  this  monastery,  and  had 
issued  orders  to  that  ei"fect,  just  as  he  had  done  in  the 
instance  of  St.  Basil  already  referred  to ;  but  he  was 
defeated  in  his  purpose  by  the  haste  with  which  the 
demoralized  army  retreated  from  the  country. 

The  Troitzkoi  is  not  merely  a  monastery,  it  is  also 
a  semi-fortress,  a  palace,  and  a  town  containing-  eight 
churches,  a  bazaar,  a  hospital,  and  many  stately  resi- 
dences, altogether  forming  a  confused  though  pictur- 
esque group  of  towers,  spires,  belfries,  and  domes. 
It  is  dominated  by  a  famous  bell-tower  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  high,  containing  one  of  the  finest  chimes 
of  bells  in  all  Russia,  thirty-five  in  number.  In  the 
Church  of  the  Trinity  is  the  shrine  of  Saint  Sergius, 
an  elaborate  piece  of  work  of  solid  silver,  weigh- 
ing nearly  a  thousand  pounds ;  it  is  so  constructed 
that  the  relics  of  the  saint  are  exposed.  The  whole 
of  the  monastery  grounds  are  enclosed  in  a  high  wall 
twenty  feet  in  thickness,  with  heavy  octagon  towers 
guarding  the  four  principal  corners.  A  deep  moat 
surrounds  the  wall,  and  against  the  attack  of  a  hostile 
force  in  former  times  it  was  thought  to  be  remarkably 
protected,  and  is  undoubtedly  the  strongest  fortified 
monastery  in  the  East.  The  large  prison  within  the 
walls  has  been  the  scene  of  as  great  cruelty  during  the 
last  two  centuries  as  any  similar  establishment  in  Eu- 
rope or  Asia.  The  name  Troitzkoi  signifies  the  Trin- 
ity. The  treasury  of  this  monastery  is  famous  among 
all  who  are  specially  interested  in  such  matters  for  its 


330  DUE   NORTH. 

priceless  robes  and  jewels,  to  say  nothing  in  detail  of 
the  aggregated  value  of  its  gold  and  silver  plate.  It 
is  asserted  that  there  are  more  and  richer  pearls  col- 
lected here  than  are  contained  in  all  the  other  treas- 
uries in  Europe  combined.  Among  other  precious 
gems  there  are  several  mitres  which  contain  rubies 
worth  fifty  thousand  roubles  each,  being  set  with 
other  jewels  of  appropriate  richness.  The  Troitzkoi 
was  pillaged  by  the  Tartars  about  1403,  and  was  be- 
sieged by  the  Poles  in  1608,  at  which  time  the  walls 
were  seriously  injured ;  but  all  is  now  restored  to  its 
original  strength  and  completeness.  This  ancient 
monastery  stands  at  the  opening  of  the  valley  of  the 
Kliasma,  a  region  fruitful  with  the  smouldering  ruins 
of  by-gone  cities  so  much  older  than  Moscow  that 
their  names  even  are  forgotten.  The  country  between 
the  stream  just  named  and  the  Volga  was  the  grand 
centre  of  early  Tartar  history.  As  in  the  environs  of 
Delhi,  India,  where  city  after  city  has  risen  and  crum- 
bled into  dust,  so  here  large  capitals  have  mouldered 
away  leaving  no  recorded  story,  and  only  enforcing 
the  sad  moral  of  mutability. 

The  idea  of  comfortable  road-beds  for  the  passage 
of  vehicles  and  good  foot-ways  does  not  seem  to  have 
entered  the  minds  of  the  people  of  Moscow.  The 
cobble-stone  pavements  arc  universal,  both  in  the 
middle  of  the  streets  and  on  that  portion  designed 
for  pedestrians.  These  stones,  without  any  unifor- 
mity of  size,  are  miserably  laid  in  the  first  place, 
added  to  which  they  are  thrown  out  of  level  by  the 


PIGEOXS   llEtlARDED   AS   SACRED.  331 

severity  of  the  annual  frosts,  so  that  it  is  a  punishment 
to  walk  or  to  drive  upon  them.  The  natives  are  per- 
haps accustomed  to  this  needless  discomfort,  and  do 
not  heed  it ;  but  it  is  a  severe  tax  upon  the  endurance 
of  strangers  who  remember  the  smooth  roadways  of 
Paris,  Boston,  and  New  York.  A  few  short  reaches 
of  the  square  granite-stone  pavements  were  observed, 
probably  laid  down  as  an  experiment ;  but  great  was 
the  relief  experienced  when  the  drosky  rolled  upon 
them  after  a  struggle  with  the  cobble-stone  style  of 
j^avement.  Many  otherwise  fine  streets  both  here  and 
in  St.  Petersburg  are  rendered  nearly  impassable  by 
wretched  paving. 

One  is  struck  by  the  multitude  of  pigeons  in  and 
about  the  city.  They  are  held  in  great  reverence  by 
the  common  people,  and  no  Russian  will  harm  them. 
Indeed,  they  are  as  sacred  here  as  monkeys  in  Benares 
or  doves  in  Venice,  being  considered  emblems  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  under  protection  of  the  Church. 
They  wheel  about  in  large  blue  flocks  through  the 
air  so  dense  as  to  cast  shadows,  like  swift-moving 
clouds  between  the  sun  and  the  earth,  alighting  fear- 
lessly where  they  choose,  to  share  the  beggar's  crumbs 
or  the  bounty  of  the  affluent.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that 
this  domestic  bird  was  also  considered  sacred  by  the 
old  Scandinavians,  who  believed  that  for  a  certain 
period  after  death  the  soul  of  the  deceased  under  such 
form  was  accustomed  to  come  to  eat  and  drink  with 
as  well  as  to  watch  tlie  behavior  of  the  mourners. 
Beggary  is  sadly  prevalent  in  the  streets  of  the  Mus- 


332  DUE  NORTH. 

covite  capital, — the  number  of  maimed  and  wretched- 
looking  human  beings  forcibly  recalling  the  same 
class  in  Spanish  and  Italian  cities.  This  condition 
of  poverty  was  the  more  remarkable  when  contrasted 
with  its  absence  in  St.  Petersburg,  where  a  person 
seen  soliciting  alms  upon  the  streets  or  in  tattered 
garments  is  very  rare. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Nijni-Xovgorod.  —  Hot  Weather.  —  The  River  Volga.  —  Hundreds  of 
Steamers.  —  Great  Annual  Fair.  —  Peculiar  Character  of  the  Trade. 

—  Motley  Collection  of  Humanity.  —  An  Army  of  Beggars.  —  Rare 
and  Precious  Stones.  —  The  Famous  Brick  Tea.  —  A  Costly  Bev- 
erage. —  Sanitary  Measures.  —  Disgi'aceful  Dance  Halls.  —  Fatal 
Beauty.  —  A   Sad   History.  —  Light- Fingered  Gentry.  —  Convicts. 

—  Facts  About  Siberia.  —  Local  Customs.  —  Russian  Punishment. 

A  JOURNEY  of  about  three  liiindrcd  miles  (or  as  the 
Russians  state  it,  four  hundred  and  ten  versts)  in  a 
northeasterly  direction  from  Moscow,  by  way  of  the 
historic  town  of  Vladimir,  famous  for  its  battles  with 
the  Tartars,  brings  us  to  Nijni-Novgorod,  —  that  is, 
Lower  Novgorod,  being  so  called  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  famous  place  of  the  same  name  located  on 
the  Volkhov,  and  known  as  Novgorod  the  Great.  It 
is  older  than  Moscow,  antedating  it  a  century  or  more, 
and  is  the  capital  of  a  province  bearing  the  same 
name.  The  residence  of  tlie  governor  of  the  district, 
the  courts  of  law,  and  the  citadel  arc  within  the 
Kremlin,  where  there  is  also  a  fine  monument  in  the 
form  of  an  obelisk  eighty  feet  high,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Mininn  and  Pojarski,  the  two  patriots  who 
liberated  their  country  from  the  Poles  in  1612.  This 
Kremlin,  like  that  at  Moscow,  is  situated  on  an  eleva- 
tion overlooking  the  town  and  the  broad  valley  of  the 


334  DUE  NORTH. 

Volga.  The  site  of  the  upper  town,  as  the  older  por- 
tion of  the  place  situated  about  the  Kremlin  is  called, 
is  quite  remarkable,  being  a  sort  of  overhanging  bluff, 
commanding  a  level  view  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach 
over  an  undulating  country,  through  which  winds  the 
noblest  river  of  Russia.  The  climate  here  is  subject  to 
great  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  — the  mercury  freez- 
ing, it  is  said,  in  winter,  and  sometimes  bursting 
in  the  heat  of  the  summer  sun.  As  we  stood  upon 
this  bluff  enjoying  the  comprehensive  view,  the  heat 
of  the  mid-day  hour  and  the  power  of  the  sun  were 
quite  tropical.  Indeed,  without  the  partial  shelter  of 
an  umbrella  it  would  have  been  as  insufferable  as 
mid-day  exposure  in  Ceylon  or  Singapore.  All  ani- 
mal life,  so  far  as  possible,  sought  the  shade;  and 
the  fine  black  horses  attached  to  the  vehicle  which 
had  transported  us  from  the  plain  below,  though 
driven  at  a  quiet  pace,  were  flecked  with  foam  and 
panted  with  distended  nostrils.  The  thermometer 
on  the  shady  side  of  the  governor's  palace  close  at 
hand  indicated  89°  Fahrenheit.  To  the  great  ex- 
tremes of  overpowering  cold  and  enervating  heat 
some  of  the  apparent  incongruities  of  the  native 
character  may  doubtless  be  attributed.  For  more 
than  half  the  year  the  people  are  as  it  were  hermeti- 
cally scaled  up  by  the  frost,  and  in  the  brief  but  in- 
tense heat  of  the  summer  they  are  rendered  inert  and 
slothful  by  the  effect  of  tropical  heat. 

We  were  told  that  there  was  here  six  hundred  years 
ago  a  very  large  city,  but  that  to-day  the  place  cannot 


THE   RIVERS    VOLGA   AND   OKA.  335 

boast  over  forty-five  thousand  fixed  pojiulatioii.  Thus 
the  story  of  faded  grandeur  is  written  all  over  the 
plains  of  northern  Europe  and  Asia.  By  ascending 
what  is  called  Mininn's  Tower,  one  of  the  finest  pano- 
ramic views  is  obtained  which  can  well  be  conceived 
of.  A  vast  alluvial  plain  is  spread  out  before  the  eye 
covered  with  fertile  fields  and  thrifty  woods,  through 
which  from  northwest  to  southeast  flows  the  Volga 
like  a  silver  thread  upon  a  verdant  ground,  extend- 
ing from  horizon  to  horizon.  On  this  river,  which  is 
the  main  artery  of  central  Russia,  are  seen  scores  of 
swift-moving  steamers  bound  to  Saratoff,  Astrakhan, 
and  the  Caspian  Sea,  fourteen  hundred  miles  away, 
while  a  forest  of  shipping  is  gathered  about  the  shore 
of  the  lower  town  and  covering  the  Oka  River,  which 
here  joins  the  Yolga.  From  this  outlook  the  author 
counted  over  two  hundred  steamboats  in  sight  at 
the  same  time,  —  all  side-wheelers  and  clipper-built, 
drawn  hither  by  the  exigencies  of  the  local  trade 
contingent  upon  the  period  of  the  great  annual  fair. 
The  first  of  these  steamers  was  built  in  the  United 
States  and  transported  at  great  trouble  and  exi^ense 
to  these  Russian  waters,  and  has  served  as  the 
model  of  the  hundreds  now  employed  on  the  river. 
The  flat-l)oats  which  the  steamers  had  towed  from 
various  distant  points,  having  been  unloaded,  were 
anchored  in  a  shallow  bend  of  the  river,  where  they 
covered  an  area  fully  a  mile  square.  On  many  of 
these  boats  entire  families  lived,  it  being  their  only 
home ;   and  wherever  freight   was  to  be  transported 


336  DUE  NORTH. 

thither  they  went :  whether  it  was  towards  the  Ural 
Mountains  or  the  Caspian  Sea,  it  was  all  the  same  to 
them. 

The  Volga  has  a  course  of  over  twenty-four  hun- 
dred, and  the  Oka  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
As  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  rivers  have  together 
made  St.  Louis,  so  these  Russian  rivers  have  made 
Nijni.  This  great  mart  lies  at  the  very  centre  of  the 
water  communication  which  joins  the  Caspian  and 
the  Black  seas  to  the  Baltic  and  White  seas,  be- 
sides which  it  has  direct  railroad  connection  with 
Moscow  and  thence  with  the  entire  east  of  Europe. 
The  Volga  and  its  tributaries-  pour  into  its  lap  the 
wealth  of  the  Ural  Mountains  and  that  of  the  vast 
region  of  Siberia  and  Central  Asia.  It  thus  becomes 
very  apparent  why  and  how  this  ancient  city  of  Nijni- 
Novgorod  is  the  point  of  business  contact  between 
European  industry  and  Asiatic  wealth. 

The  attraction  which  draws  the  traveller  so  far 
into  the  centre  of  European  Russia,  lies  in  the  nov- 
elty of  the  great  annual  fair  held  at  Nijni  for  a  period 
of  about  eight  weeks,  and  which  gathers  for  the 
time  being  some  two  hundred  thousand  people, — 
traders  and  spectators,  —  who  come  from  the  most 
distant  provinces  and  countries,  as  well  as  from  the 
region  round  about.  A  smaller  and  briefer  fair  is 
held  upon  the  ice  of  the  rivers  Volga  and  Oka  in  Janu- 
ary, but  is  comparatively  of  little  account ;  it  is  called 
a  horse-fair,  being  chiefly  devoted  to  trade  in  that 
animal.     The  merchandise  accumulated  and   offered 


GRAND   FAIR   AT  NIJNI-NOVGOROD.        337 

for  sale  at  the  grand  fair  in  August  and  September  is 
gathered  principally  from  the  two  richest  quarters  of 
the  globe.  It  is  of  limitless  variety,  and  in  quality 
varying  from  the  finest  to  the  coarsest.  As  an  exam- 
ple of  this,  jewelry  was  observed  of  such  texture  and 
fashion  as  would  have  graced  a  store  on  the  Rue  do 
la  Paix,  offered  for  sale  close  beside  the  cheapest  or- 
naments of  tinsel  manufactured  by  the  bushel-basketful 
at  Birmingham  and  Manchester.  Choice  old  silver- 
Avare  was  exposed  side  by  side  with  iron  saucepans, 
tin-dippers,  and  cheap  crockery  utensils,  —  variety 
and  incongruity,  gold  and  Brummagem  everywhere 
in  juxtaposition.  There  is  an  abundance  of  iron  and 
copper  from  the  Urals,  dried  fish  in  tall  piles  from  the 
Caspian  Sea,  tea  from  China,  cotton  from  India,  silks 
and  rugs  from  Persia,  heavy  furs  and  sables  from 
Siberia,  wool  in  the  raw  state  from  Cashmere,  together 
with  the  varied  products  of  the  trans-Caucasian  prov- 
inces, even  including  wild  horses  in  droves.  Fancy- 
goods  from  England  as  well  as  from  Paris  and  Vienna, 
toys  from  Nuremberg,  ornaments  of  jade  and  lapis- 
lazuli  from  Kashgar,  precious  stones  from  Ceylon,  and 
gems  from  pearl-producing  Penang.  Variety, indeed! 
Then  what  a  conglomerate  of  odors  permeated  every- 
thing, dominated  by  the  all-pervading  musk,  boiled 
cabbage,  coffee,  tea,  and  tanned  leather  !  Everything 
seemed  to  loom  up  through  an  Oriental  haze,  a  mirage 
of  fabulous  merchandise.  In  the  midst  of  the  booths 
and  lanes  there  rose  the  tall,  pointed  spire  of  a  mosque, 
whicli  we  were  told  was  the  most  northerly  Maliome- 
22 


338  DUE   NORTH. 

tan  temple  extant.  If  any  business  purpose  actuates 
the  visitor,  let  him  keep  his  wits  about  him,  and  above 
all  remain  cool ;  for  it  will  require  an  effort  not  to  be 
confused  by  the  ceaseless  buzzing  of  this  hive  of 
human  beings.  Sharpers  are  not  wanting,  but  are 
liere  in  force  to  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity 
that  offers.  Many  who  come  hither  thrive  solely  by 
dishonesty.  It  is  a  sort  of  thieves'  paradise,  —  and 
Asiatic  thieves  are  by  far  the  most  expert  operators 
known  in  either  hemisphere.  Most  of  them  are  itin- 
erants, having  no  booth,  table,  or  fixed  location,  but 
yet  carrying  conspicuously  about  them  evidences  of 
some  special  line  of  trade,  and  evincing  a  desire  to 
sell  at  remarkably  low  prices,  —  all  of  which  is  a  spe- 
cious disguise  under  which  to  prosecute  their  dishonest 
purposes. 

The  period  of  great  differences  in  prices  in  localities 
wide  apart  has,  generally  speaking,  passed  away,  and 
everywhere  the  true  value  of  things  is  known.  Cir- 
cumstances may  favor  sellers  and  buyers  by  turns, 
but  intrinsic  values  are  nearly  fixed  all  over  the 
world.  Nothing  is  especially  cheap  at  this  great 
Russo-Asiatic  fair  except  such  articles  as  no  one 
cares  to  purchase,  though  occasionally  a  dealer  who 
is  particularly  anxious  to  realize  cash  will  make  a 
special  sacrifice  in  the  price  demanded.  The  Tartar 
merchant  from  the  central  provinces  of  Asia  knows 
the  true  value  of  his  goods,  though  in  exchange  he 
pays  large  prices  for  Parisian  and  English  luxuries. 
Gems  so  abundant  here  can  only  be  bought  at  a  just 


VARIOUS  NATIONALITIES  AT  NIJNI.       339 

approxiniatioii  to  their  value  in  the  markets  of  the 
world ;  and  unless  one  is  willing  to  encounter  the  risk 
of  being  grossly  deceived  in  quality,  and  to  lose  much 
time  in  bargaining,  they  had  far  better  be  purchased 
elsewhere.  All  the  tricks  of  trade  arc  known  and 
resorted  to  at  such  a  gathering.  The  merchant  be- 
gins by  demanding  a  price  ridiculously  above  the 
amount  for  which  he  is  willing  eventually  to  sell,  — 
a  true  and  never  wanting  characteristic  of  Oriental 
trade.  No  dealer  has  a  fixed  price  at  Xijni.  The 
Asiatic  enjoys  dickering;  it  is  to  him  the  life  of  his 
occupation,  and  adds  zest  if  not  profit  to  his  business 
transactions,  and  by  long  practice  he  acquires  great 
adroitness  in  its  exercise. 

The  principal  attraction  to  the  traveller,  far  above 
that  of  any  articles  which  form  the  varied  collection 
of  goods  displayed  for  sale,  is  to  observe  the  remark- 
able distinction  of  races  and  nationalities  that  are 
here  mingled  together.  Tartars,  Persians,  Cossacks, 
Poles,  Egyptians,  Finns,  Georgians,  with  many  oth- 
ers, crowd  and  jostle  one  another  upon  the  narrow 
lanes  and  streets.  Many  of  these  are  in  neat  national 
costumes.  We  recall  as  we  write  a  group  of  Greeks  in 
their  picturesque  attire,  who  formed  a  theatrical  pic- 
ture by  themselves ;  while  others  were  in  such  a  mass 
of  filthy  rags  as  to  cause  one  to  step  aside  to  avoid 
personal  contact  and  its  possible  consequences. 
Though  familiar  with  the  Spanish  and  Italian  cities 
where  they  much  abound,  the  author  has  never  before 
seen  so  many  beggars  —  professional  beggars  —  con- 


340  DUE  NORTH. 

gregated  together.  The  variety  of  features,  of  physi- 
cal  development,  of  dress,  manners,  customs,  and  lan- 
guages was  infinite.  It  would  be  impossible  to  convey 
an  idea  of  the  ceaseless  Babel  of  noise  which  pre- 
vailed,—  the  cries  designating  certain  goods,  the  bar- 
tering going  on  all  about  one  in  shrill  voices,  laughter 
mingled  with  sportive  exclamations,  and  frequent 
trivial  disputes  which  filled  the  air.  But  there  was 
no  actual  quarrelling,  —  the  Russian  police  are  too  vig- 
ilant, too  much  feared,  too  summary  for  that ;  open 
violence  is  instantly  suppressed,  and  woe  betide  the 
culprit!  Such  is  this  unique  fair,  which  presents 
one  of  the  rude  and  ancient  forms  of  trade  that  is 
rapidly  disappearing  by  the  introduction  of  railroads. 
The  glory  of  Nijni-Novgorod  is,  we  suspect,  already 
beginning  to  wane ;  but  it  would  seem  that  the  fair 
still  represents  all  the  gayest  features  of  the  olden 
time,  having  been  held  here  annually  since  1366, 
tradition  pointing  to  even  an  earlier  date. 

The  site  of  the  fair-grounds  is  triangular  in  shape, 
and  lies  between  the  two  rivers  Volga  and  Oka,  form- 
ing yearly  a  large  and  populous  temporary  town,  with 
numerous  streets  of  booths,  restaurants,  small  shops, 
bazaars,  tents,  and  even  minor  theatres,  while  the 
wharves  of  the  rivers  are  crowded  with  bales  of  rags, 
grain,  hides,  skins,  casks  of  wine,  madder,  and  cotton. 
The  aggregate  value  of  the  goods  disposed  of  at  these 
yearly  gatherings  of  traders  is  enormous,  being  esti- 
mated as  high  as  eiglity  millions  of  dollars !  Centu- 
ries since,  the  two  extremes  of  western  Europe  and 


THE  ALEXANDRITE    GEM.  341 

China  used  also  to  luoct  at  Kazan  to  exchange  mer- 
chandise ;  but  long  ago  this  trade  was  transferred  to 
Nijni,  Avhicli  is  now  the  only  notable  gathering-place 
of  the  sort  in  Russia.  We  were  told  that  the  united 
length  of  the  streets,  lanes,  and  alleys  of  the  fair 
often  reached  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  and  this 
seemed  to  be  rather  an  under  than  an  over  estimate. 
Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  great  distances 
which  traders  pass  over  to  meet  here,  from  the  fact 
that  there  were  seen  Bucharians  from  the  borders  of 
China  as  well  as  merchants  from  the  north  part  of 
the  Celestial  Empire.  The  former  brought  with  them, 
in  connection  with  other  goods,  precious  stones  for 
sale.  Some  choice  turquoises  were  observed  in  their 
possession,  such  as  one  can  purchase  nowhere  else  in 
first  hands.  Speaking  of  gems,  there  were  also  fine 
specimens  of  the  native  product  offered  by  those  >vho 
dealt  in  jewelry,  —  among  them  some  very  fine  Alex- 
andrites,  a  comparatively  modern  discovery  from  the 
Ural  mines,  which  were  named  after  the  Emperor 
Alexander  I.  The  Alexandrite  is  opaline,  being  dark 
green  by  daylight  and  ruby  red  by  artificial  light  at 
night,  though  strong  artificial  light  will  bring  out  its 
peculiar  properties  at  anytime.  In  hardness  it  seems 
to  be  of  about  the  same  texture  as  the  emerald,  and 
when  a  clear,  flawless  specimen  is  obtained,  it  is 
valued  almost  as  highly  as  that  rare  and  beautiful 
gem.  The  story  told  about  the  Alexandrite,  and 
which  we  are  inclined  to  believe  is  true,  is  that  only 
one  "  pocket,"  as  it  is  technically  designated,  was  ever 


342  DUE  NORTH. 

discovered,  and  that  has  long  since  been  exhausted, 
all  subsequent  search  having  utterly  failed  to  produce 
a  single  specimen.  At  first  the  value  of  this  remark- 
able stone  was  not  realized,  and  it  remained  neglected 
upon  the  spot  where  it  was  found,  until  a  European 
geologist  chanced  to  see  and  explain  its  gem-like 
qualities,  after  which  it  became  much  sought  for  and 
properly  valued.  Very  few  are  to  be  found  for  sale 
in  Europe,  and  fewer  in  America.  The  author  saw 
one  of  these  stones  at  St.  Petersburg  which  was  ex- 
quisitely cut  and  clear  as  a  crystal,  though  green  in 
color,  for  which  the  sum  of  three  thousand  roubles 
was  demanded.  As  it  weighed  fifteen  carats,  this  was 
at  about  the  rate  of  one  hundred  dollars  per  carat. 
At  Nijni  or  St.  Petersburg  one  must  pay  nearly  Paris 
and  New  York  prices  for  real  gems. 

Specimens  of  other  gems  from  the  Urals  though 
not  abundant  were  still  in  considerable  variety,  —  not 
offered  at  the  booths,  but  by  itinerants  who  came  to 
our  hotel,  and  displayed  them  in  a  somewhat  secret 
manner,  being  very  particular  to  keep  quite  out  of 
sight  of  the  crowd.  One  of  these  dealers  took  from 
his  bosom  a  small  flat  leather  receptacle  wherein  he 
showed  some  fine  emeralds,  colored  diamonds,  rubies, 
and  topazes.  Of  the  latter  gem  there  were  specimens 
in  green,  blue,  yellow,  and  white,  most  of  them  too 
poorly  cut  to  show  their  fine  beauty  and  brilliancy  to 
advantage.  The  Armenian  who  exhibited  this  collec- 
tion had  also  garnets  of  several  distinct  colors,  the 
finest  of  which  was  of  a  liglit  cinnamon  hue.     He 


niUCK   TEA.  348 

luul  also  tourmalines  black  as  jet,  and  pink  rubellitcs 
with  sa])[)liires  as  fmc  as  those  from  Ceylon.  All 
these  precious  stones,  he  said,  were  from  the  Ural 
mines.  The  same  region  furnishes  also  gold,  silver, 
copper,  and  platinum,  the  latter  valuable  product  in 
larger  quantities  than  comes  from  any  other  part  of 
the  world.  An  emerald  mine  was  accidentally  dis- 
covered in  the  Ural  range  near  Ekaterinburg  so  late 
as  1830.  A  peasant  who  was  passing  through  a  wood 
chanced  to  see  an  emerald  gleaming  among  the  up- 
turned roots  of  a  fallen  pine ;  and  further  research 
showed  that  many  precious  gems  of  the  same  sort 
were  mingled  with  the  surrounding  soil.  Such  dis- 
coveries soon  become  known.  The  peasant  was  en- 
riched for  life,  but  Government  as  usual  in  such  cases 
claimed  the  mine. 

Thibet  and  North  China  merchants  who  come  to 
Nijni  occupy  nearly  six  months  in  travelling  to  and 
from  their  native  districts.  They  bring  their  famous 
brands  of  "  brick  tea,"  said  to  be  the  finest  produced, 
and  of  which  the  Russians  partake  so  liberally,  paying 
more  than  double  the  price  per  pound  that  is  usually 
charged  for  the  best  brands  that  reach  the  American 
market.  One  who  has  travelled  in  Japan  is  impressed 
with  the  idea  that  its  jjcojile  draw  one  half  their  sus- 
tenance from  lea-drinking,  of  whicli  tliey  ])artake 
many  times  each  day ;  but  neither  these  Russians  nor 
the  Asiatics  take  the  decoction  one  quarter  as  strong 
as  it  is  used  with  us.  An  idea  prevails  here  tliat  the 
tea  from  China  which  comes  by  the  overland  route  is 


344  DUE  NORTH. 

much  superior  to  that  which  reaches  Southern  Europe 
and  America  by  sea,  and  the  price  is  gauged  accord- 
ingly ;  but  even  brick  tea  comes  to  Nijni  half  the  dis- 
tance and  more  by  water  carriage,  and  if  there  is  any 
deteriorating  effect  traceable  to  that  cause,  it  cannot  be 
exempt.  There  is  a  brand  known  as  "  yellow  tea  "  in 
great  favor  here, —  a  grade  Avhich  we  do  not  see  in  this 
country  at  all.  It  is  of  a  pale  color  when  steeped  and 
of  delicate  flavor,  being  used  as  an  after-dinner  bev- 
erage in  Russia,  as  we  employ  coffee.  It  is  sold  at  the 
fair  in  small  fancy  packages  as  put  up  in  China,  each 
containing  one  pound  of  the  leaves.  Price  six  dollars 
for  a  package ! 

Where  there  is  so  large  and  promiscuous  an  assem- 
blage of  human  beings,  sickness  of  an  epidemic  char- 
acter would  be  sure  to  break  out  were  it  not  that  a 
most  rigid  sanitary  system  is  established  and  en- 
forced. This  precaution  is  especially  important,  as 
personal  cleanliness  is  a  virtue  little  known  and  less 
practised  among  Russians  and  Asiatics.  In  the  large 
cities  the  Russian  takes  his  weekly  bath  of  steaming 
water,  nearly  parboiling  his  body  ;  and  that  must  last 
him  for  seven  days.  The  average  citizen  sleeps  in  liis 
clothes  during  the  interim  without  change,  satisfied 
with  batliing  his  face  and  hands  in  a  pint  or  less  of 
water  daily.  The  Nijni  fair-grounds  have  open  canals 
in  various  parts  to  afford  immediate  access  to  water 
in  case  of  fire,  and  also  ample  underground  sewerage 
formed  by  stone-lined  drains  which  extend  all  over 
the  place.     These  drains  are  flushed   several   times 


A    SAD  PERSONAL   HISTORY.  345 

ilaily  diirino-  the  season  of  the  fair  by  water  pumped 
from  the  A^olga. 

The  dance-halls,  music-rooms,  and  places  of  general 
amusement  are  of  such  a  character  as  might  naturally 
be  anticipated,  presenting  disgraceful  features  of  frailty 
and  vice  scarcely  surpassed  in  the  large  European 
capitals.  One  spacious  square  of  the  grounds  is  occu- 
pied by  four  large  three-story  houses,  which  are  noth- 
ing less  than  acknowledged  dens  of  vice.  From  these 
houses,  which  are  on  the  four  sides  of  the  square, 
flags  and  streamers  are  all  day  gayly  flaunting,  and 
fancy  lanterns  are  grouped  at  night.  Bands  of  in- 
strumental performers  pour  forth  from  their  several 
piazzas  noisy  refrains,  while  parading  hither  and 
thither  upon  the  broad  verandas,  or  looking  out  from 
the  windows,  many  a  prematurely  aged  and  saddened 
face  appears,  —  faces,  alas!  which  assumed  smiles 
and  gayety  of  tone  cannot  effectually  disguise.  The 
unfortunate  girls  who  are  attached  to  these  establish- 
ments are  of  varied  nationalities.  Many  are  Russian, 
some  are  Poles,  others  are  from  far-off  Cashmere  and 
Nepaul ;  even  the  Latin  Quarter  of  Paris  has  its  repre- 
sentatives here,  as  well  as  the  demi-monde  of  Vienna. 

One  dark-eyed,  handsome,  even  refined  appearing 
girl,  who  kept  quite  by  herself,  was  detected  as  being  a 
quadroon.  Observing  that  the  author  was  American, 
she  acknowledged  that  she  came  from  New  Orleans. 
The  brief  truthful  history  of  this  girl,  who  possessed 
all  the  fatal  beauty  of  her  race,  may  be  found  in- 
structive.    She  had  been  the  travelling  companion  of 


346  DUE  NORTH. 

a  heartless  titled  Englishman,  who  had  induced  her 
to  run  away  from  her  respectable  Louisiana  home, 
and  had  finally  deserted  her  at  St.  Petersburg  after 
a  year  of  travel  in  various  parts  of  the  world  and  a 
considerable  sojourn  in  India.  Without  a  guinea  in 
her  purse  or  the  means  of  honestly  earning  money, 
her  fate  seemed  to  be  inevitable  ;  and  so  she  had 
drifted  she  hardly  knew  how  or  where,  until  she  was 
here  in  this  maelstrom  of  vice,  Nijni-Xovgorod.  One 
must  have  possessed  a  heart  of  stone  to  be  able  to 
look  unmoved  into  the  tearful  eyes  of  this  poor  un- 
happy girl,  who  had  bought  her  bitter  experience  at 
such  terrible  cost.  Quietly  closing  her  hand  upon 
the  gold  that  was  offered  her  with  some  earnest,  well- 
meant  advice,  she  said  :  "  This  shall  be  the  nucleus 
of  a  sum  wherewith  to  return  to  my  mother  and  my 
Louisiana  home,  or  it  shall  purchase  that  which  will 
end  for  me  all  earthly  misery  !  "  Poor  Marie  Fleur  ! 
We  shall  probably  never  know  what  fate  has  befallen 
her. 

Interspersed  about  the  lanes  and  streets  were  many 
gay  eating  and  drinking  booths,  cafes  where  gypsy 
dancers  and  singing  girls  appeared  in  the  evening. 
With  the  close  of  the  day  the  business  of  the  fair  is 
mostly  laid  aside,  and  each  nationality  amuses  itself 
after  its  native  fashion.  Rude  musical  instruments 
are  brought  forth,  strange  and  not  inharmonious  airs 
fall  upon  the  ear,  sujiplemcnted  here  and  there  by 
songs  the  words  of  which  are  utterly  unintelligible 
except  to  a  small  circle  of  participants.     The  whole 


LIGlIT-FlNiJERED   GEN  TRY.  347 

scene  forms  a  motley  picture,  as  party-colored  as 
Harlequin's  costume,  while  the  whole  is  shadowed  by 
the  ever-present,  vigilant  Russian  police.  Smoking 
is  not  permitted  in  the  streets  or  among  the  booths ; 
to  light  a  match  even  subjects  one  to  a  fine,  such 
is  the  great  fear  of  fire ;  but  still  the  unmistakable 
fumes  of  tobacco  which  permeated  the  atmosphere 
showed  that  within  the  walls  of  their  own  apartments 
smokers  were  freely  indulging  in  their  wonted  habit. 
The  governor's  business  residence  during  the  fair  is 
very  near  its  centre.  The  lower  portion  for  the  time 
being  is  transferred  into  a  grand  bazaar,  for  the  sale 
of  the  lighter  and  more  choice  fancy  articles,  includ- 
ing European  manufactured  goods.  There  is  here 
also  a  large  restaurant  where  a  good  dinner  may  be 
had  at  a  reasonable  price,  the  bill  of  fare  embracing 
the  peculiar  dishes  of  many  different  nationalities,  — 
and  though  others  did,  the  author  did  not  partake  of 
Tartar  horse-flesh.  A  boulevard  extends  from  be- 
hind the  governor's  house  towards  the  cathedral  and  an 
Armenian  church.  The  shops  along  this  thoroughfare 
are  principally  occupied  by  goldsmiths  and  dealers  in 
silver-ware.  Some  apparently  very  ancient  examples 
of  the  latter  would  have  delighted  the  eye  of  a  curio 
hunter ;  they  were  in  the  form  of  clasps,  mugs,  drink- 
ing-horns, and  spoons  of  quaint  designs,  no  two  alike, 
affording  an  endless  variety  from  which  to  choose. 

We  were  told  of  some  curious  doings  of  the  light- 
fingered  gentry  who  are  naturally  attracted  to  the 
fair,  and  who  drive  a  very  successful  business  during 


348  DUE  NORTH. 

the  few  weeks  of  its  continuance,  provided  they  he 
not  detected  and  locked  up.  These  rogues  are  not 
confined  to  any  one  nationality,  but  are  composed  of 
immigrants  from  far  and  near.  They  seem  equally 
adroit  however,  whether  Asiatics  or  Europeans.  One 
was  arrested  during  the  late  season  at  Xijni  upon 
whose  person  eleven  purses  and  porte-monnaies  were 
found  as  the  product  of  a  single  day's  operation.  The 
rascal  was  a  Polish  Jew,  "  childlike  and  bland."  He 
was  apparently  a  pedler,  dealing  in  tapes  and  shoe- 
strings. Some  London  thieves  the  year  before  the 
last,  having  heard  of  the  great  Russian  fair  which 
continued  so  many  weeks,  drawing  together  pur- 
chasers from  many  lands,  who  came  with  well-lined 
pocket-books,  accordingly  resolved  to  invade  Nijni. 
They  came,  they  saw,  they  conquered ;  but  it  was  a 
very  brief  triumph.  The  Asiatic  thieves  "  spotted  " 
the  English  rogues  at  sight,  but  let  them  operate 
until  they  had  possessed  themselves  of  ample  booty, 
while  the  local  rogues  remained  quiescent  and 
watched  the  fun.  Then  the  Eastern  experts  picked 
their  pockets  of  every  farthing  they  had  stolen ;  hav- 
ing done  which  they  adroitly  drew  the  attention  of 
the  police  to  them.  The  cockneys  were  compelled  to 
leave  the  place  instantly,  and  to  beg  their  way  to  an 
English  port  where  they  sadly  embarked  for  home, 
wiser  if  not  richer  than  when  they  resolved  to  "  raid  " 
the  great  Oriental  fair. 

The  numbers  of  persons  arriving  during  the  fair  is 
so  great  as  to  exhaust  all  reasonable  means  of  com- 


CONVICTS  EN  ROUTE    TO    SIBERIA.        C49 

iortablc  lodgunicut,  and  where  the  great  mass  sleep 
is  generally  considered  to  be  a  mystery  ;  yet  a  stroll 
about  the  town  at  day-break  will  solve  it.  Rolled  up 
in  their  rags,  thousands  drop  down  to  rest  like  dogs 
upon  the  ground  wherever  fatigue  overtakes  them. 
Other  thousands  sleep  behind  their  stalls  and  booths 
upon  the  softest  place  they  can  find.  Open  sheds  are 
utilized  by  hundreds,  who  lie  there  upon  the  floor 
packed  like  herring  under  a  temporary  roof.  It 
may  be  safely  stated  that  not  one  person  in  fifty 
who  attends  the  fair  removes  his  clothing  from  his 
body  while  he  is  there.  Even  the  weekly  bath  must 
be  given  up  here,  unless  it  consists  of  a  brief  plunge 
into  the  Volga. 

On  the  route  to  Nijni  from  Moscow,  at  a  station  on 
the  railway  line,  a  bevy  of  convicts  was  seen  on  their 
way  to  Siberia.  They  represented  all  ages,  from  the 
lad  of  fifteen  to  the  decrejjit  and  gray -haired  old  man 
of  sixty  or  seventy.  Condemned  people  are  now  con- 
veyed as  far  on  their  way  as  possible  by  rail,  and  then 
begin  their  long  journey  upon  foot  towards  the  re- 
gion which  according  to  popular  belief  rarely  fails 
to  become  their  grave  in  a  few  brief  years.  Some  of 
these  men  —  there  'were  no  women  among  them  — 
aj)pearcd  to  us  as  though  society  were  fortunate  to  be 
rid  of  them,  and  as  if  they  very  likely  deserved  the 
fate  which  awaited  them,  be  it  never  so  severe.  There 
were  others,  however,  if  the  human  countenance  may 
3e  trusted,  who  seemed  to  merit  a  better  fate.  Some 
of  them  had  grossly  outraged  the  laws,  and  some  few 


350  DUE  NORTH. 

were  political  prisoners.  But  be  their  condemnation 
upon  what  ground  it  may,  when  once  started  upon 
this  journey  they  left  all  hope  behind.  The  prison- 
ers whom  we  saw  did  not  appear  to  be  guarded  with 
much  strictness.  They  were  permitted  to  walk  about 
freely  within  certain  lines ;  still,  military  espionage  is 
so  thorough  and  complete  that  any  attempt  to  escape 
would  surely  cost  the  prisoner  his  life.  None  of  these 
prisoners  were  manacled  or  confined  by  bonds  of  any 
sort;  and  though  we  watched  them  specially,  no 
harshness  was  exhibited  by  either  soldiers  or  officers 
towards  them.  The  prisoners  seemed  to  accept  the 
position,  and  the  soldiers  to  be  only  performing  rou- 
tine duty.  Feeling  more  than  ordinary  interest  in  the 
subject,  we  were  led  to  seek  for  information  touching 
this  penal  servitude. 

We  were  told  by  unprejudiced  persons  that  many  of 
the  current  stories  about  Siberia  were  pure  fiction, 
and  that  not  a  few  of  the  attributed  terrors  relating  to 
that  district  were  without  truth.  To  sober,  honest, 
industrious  enterprise  it  was  not  only  a  very  habitable 
but  even  desirable  locality,  undoubtedly  with  some 
drawbacks  ;  but  there  is  no  limit  to  its  mineral  wealth 
and  other  possibilities.  In  spite'  of  its  climate,  the 
soil  under  proper  culture  is  represented  to  be  prodi- 
giously fertile.  Our  principal  informant  had  been 
there  several  times,  and  had  mercantile  interests  in 
the  country  :  he  was  not  of  Russian  but  German  birth. 
It  seems  that  many  ])crsons  go  to  Siberia  voluntarily 
every  year,  some  following  closely  in  the  track  of  each 


SLEEPING-CAll   ACCOMMODATWX.S.         351 

lot  of  prisoners  despatched  thither.  If  what  we  heard 
and  have  reason  to  beheve  is  really  true,  Siberia  will 
eventually  prove  to  Russia  what  Australia  and  Van 
Diemen's  Land  have  to  England. 

The  Russian  travels  with  all  his  toilet  and  sleeping 
necessaries  with  him.  Towels,  soaj),  pillow,  and  blan- 
ket foi-ni  a  part  of  his  regular  outht  when  he  travels 
by  rail  or  otherwise  at  night.  Though  one  pays  for 
slec})ing-car  accommodations,  only  reclining  seats  are 
furnished,  and  not  even  a  pitcher  of  water  or  a  towel 
can  be  found  inside  of  the  cars.  This  seemed  to  be 
the  more  surprising  because  of  the  excellence  of  the 
road-bed,  the  remarkable  perfection  of  the  rolling 
stock,  and  the  manifest  desire  upon  all  hands,  so  far 
as  the  officials  were  concerned,  to  render  the  passen- 
gers as  comfortable  as  possible.  Anything  like  re- 
freshing slumber  was  out  of  the  question  in  a  half 
upright  position,  and  after  a  night  passed  in  coquet- 
ting with  sleep,  at  six  or  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  cars  stopped  at  a  way-station  for  twenty-five  min- 
ntes,  both  in  coming  from  Moscow  to  Xijni  and  in 
returning,  the  journey  both  ways  being  made  by  the 
night-express.  On  the  i)latform  of  this  station  a  line 
of  peasant  women  stand  behind  a  series  of  basins 
placed  temporarily  upon  a  long  bench.  One  of  these 
women  pours  a  small  stream  of  water  from  a  pitcher 
upon  the  traveller's  hands,  and  he  is  thus  enabled  to 
make  a  partial  toilet,  wiping  his  face  upon  a  very  sus- 
])icious-looking  towel,  also  furnished  by  the  woman 
who  supplies  the  water.     For  this  service  she  expects 


352  DUE  NORTH. 

ten  kopecks,  the  smallest  ciuTent  silver  coin.  How- 
ever, water  upon  the  face  and  temples  even  in  limited 
quantity,  after  a  lona:  dusty  night-ride  in  the  cars,  is 
grateful  and  refreshing,  incomplete  though  the  ablu- 
tion may  seem,  and  one  felt  duly  thankful.  It  was 
quite  as  ample  accommodation  in  that  line  as  the 
average  Russian  citizen  required. 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  and  apropos  of  the  sub- 
ject of  Siberia,  let  us  say  a  few  words  more.  It  should 
be  remembered  as  regards  the  severity  of  punishment 
for  crime  in  Russia,  and  particularly  as  to  banishment 
to  Siberia,  that  the  sentence  of  death  is  now  rarely  in- 
flicted in  this  country.  Persons  who  are  condemned 
to  expiate  their  crimes  by  deportation  to  this  penal 
resort,  would  in  other  European  countries  be  publicly 
executed.  Nearly  all  other  nations  punish  undoubted 
treason  with  death.  Russia  inflicts  only  banishment, 
where  the  convicted  party  has  at  least  air  and  light, 
his  punishment  being  also  mitigated  by  obedience  and 
good  behavior.  This  is  paradise  compared  to  Aus- 
trian, Spanish,  German,  and  Italian  prisons,  where  the 
wretched  dungeon  existence  is  only  a  living  death. 
It  is  a  fact  that  of  late  years,  and  especially  since  the 
accession  of  Alexander  III.  to  the  throne,  so  mild  has 
the  punishment  of  banishment  to  Siberia  come  to  be 
considered  that  it  has  lost  its  terror  to  the  average 
culprit.  We  were  assured  that  not  one  third  of  the 
convicts  sent  thither  for  a  limited  term  elect  to  return 
to  their  former  homes,  but  end  by  becoming  free  set- 
tlers in  the  country,  and  responsible  citizens. 


CHAPTER   XYIII. 

On  the  Road  to  Poland.  —  Extensive  Grain-Fields.  —  Polish  Peasantrj', 

—  A  Russian  General. — No  Evidence  of  Oppression.  —  Warsaw 
and  its  Surroundings. — Mingled  Squalor  and  Elegance. — Monu- 
ments of  the  City.  —  Polish  Nobility.  —  Circassian  Troops.  —  Polish 
Language.  —  The  Jews  of  Warsaw.  —  Political  Condition  of  Poland. 

—  Public  Parks.  —  The  Famous  Saxony  Gardens.  —  Present  Com- 
mercial Prosperity.  —  Local  Sentiment.  —  Concerning  Polish  Ladies 
and  Jewish  Beauties. 


From  Moscow  to  Warsaw  one  travels  a  long  and 
rather  dreary  seven  hundred  miles,  the  first  half  of 
which  is  characterized  by  such  sameness,  verst  after 
vcrst,  as  to  render  the  journey  extremely  monotonous. 
The  country  tlirough  which  we  passed  is  heavily 
wooded,  and  affords  some  attractive  sport  to  foreign 
hunters  who  resort  hither  for  wolf-shooting.  In  the 
summer  season  these  repulsive  creatures  are  seldom 
dangerous  to  man,  except  when  they  go  mad  (which 
in  fact  they  are  rather  liable  to  do),  in  which  condi- 
tion they  rush  through  field  and  forest  heedless  of 
hunters,  dogs,  or  aught  else,  biting  every  creature  they 
meet ;  and  such  animals,  man  or  beast,  surely  die  of 
hydrophobia.  The  wolves  are  at  all  seasons  more  or 
less  destructive  to  small  domestic  stock,  and  some- 
times in  the  severity  of  a  hard  winter  they  will  gather 
in  large  numbers  and  attack  human  beings  under  the 
23 


354  DUE  NORTH. 

craze  of  ravenous  hunger.  But  as  a  rule  they  are 
timid,  and  keep  out  of  the  way  of  man.  There  are 
also  some  desirable  game-birds  in  these  forests  which 
are  sought  for  by  sportsmen,  but  the  wolves  are  all 
that  the  foreign  hunter  seeks.  The  wild  bison  still 
exist  here,  thougli  it  is  forbidden  to  shoot  them,  as 
they  are  considered  to  belong  to  the  Crown,  but  the 
gradual  diminution  of  their  numbers  from  natural 
causes  threatens  their  extinction.  If  they  were  not 
fed  by  man  during  the  long  winters  they  would  starve. 
The  Emperor  sometimes  presents  a  specimen  to  for- 
eign zoological  gardens. 

As  we  advanced,  the  country  put  on  a  different  as- 
pect. The  beautiful  lavender  color  of  the  flax-fields  in- 
terspersed with  the  peach-bloom  of  broad,  level  acres 
of  buckwheat  produced  a  cheerful  aspect.  These 
fields  were  alternated  by  miles  of  intensely  green 
oats,  rye,  and  other  cereals  ;  indeed,  we  have  seen  no 
finer  display  of  grain-fields  except  in  western  America. 
The  hay-makers  in  picturesque  groups  were  busy 
along  the  line  of  the  railroad,  nine  tenths  of  them 
being  women.  The  borders  of  Poland  exhibited  a 
scene  of  great  fertility  and  successful  agricultural 
enterprise.  As  we  crossed  the  frontier  a  difference 
in  the  dress  of  the  common  people  was  at  once  obvi- 
ous. Men  no  longer  wore  red  shirts  outside  of  their 
pantaloons,  and  the  scarlet  disappeared  from  the  dress 
of  the  women,  giving  place  to  more  subdued  hues. 
The  stolid  square  faces  of  the  Russian  peasantry  were 
replaced  by  a  more  intelligent  cast  of  features,  while 


A   It  USUI  AN   GENE  UAL.  355 

many  representatives  of  the  Jewish  race  began  to  aj)- 
pcar,  esi)ccially  about  the  railroad  stations,  where  they 
were  sure  to  be  offering  something  for  sale.  At  the 
frontier  town  of  Brest  the  extensive  fortifications  at- 
tracted notice,  where  considerable  bodies  of  infantry 
and  artillery  were  also  observed.  These  elaborate 
fortifications  are  said  to  embrace  a  line  of  twenty 
miles,  and  are  kept  fully  up  to  a  war  standard.  As 
to  the  defensive  condition  of  Russian  forts,  Alexan- 
der III.  considers  prevention  better  than  cure,  and  is 
at  all  times  prepared  for  an  emergency.  The  dwell- 
ing-houses which  began  to  come  into  view  were  of 
a  much  superior  class  to  those  left  behind  us  in 
Russia  proper.  Log-cabins  entirely  disappeared  and 
thatched  roofs  were  rarely  seen,  while  good  substantial 
frame-houses  appropriately  painted  became  numerous. 
Neat  little  flower-plats  were  seen  fenced  in  adjoining 
the  dwellings,  containing  pretty  shrubbery,  flowers, 
and  fruit-trees.  Lines  of  bee-hives  found  place  near 
the  dwellings,  and  everything  was  suggestive  of  thrift 
and  industry. 

On  the  same  train  in  which  we  had  travelled  from 
Moscow  was  Prince  Gurkon,  commander-in-chief  of 
all  the  armies  of  Russia.  He  Avas  a  man  past  the 
middle  age,  with  a  countenance  of  pleasing  expression, 
not  w-anting  in  firmness,  but  still  quite  genial.  The 
Prince  was  almost  covered  on  the  left  breast  with  the 
insignia  of  various  orders.  He  was  in  full  military 
uniform,  attended  by  a  staff  of  a  dozen  officers,  and 
being  on  an  official  tour  of  inspection  was  received 


356  DUE  NORTH. 

with  a  salvo  of  guns  at  Brest,  He  was  inclined  to 
conversation,  and  was  not  a  little  curious  about  Amer- 
ica, concerning  whose  political  and  military  status  he 
had  many  questions  to  ask.  Like  all  of  his  country- 
men he  expressed  hearty  sympathy  with  our  Republic, 
and  spoke  intelligently  of  American  history  and  pro- 
gress. He  had  special  respect  for  General  Grant  as 
a  soldier,  and  remarked  that  fortunately  Russia  had 
disposed  of  the  terrible  incubus  of  serfdom  at  a  less 
bitter  and  bloody  cost  than  America  incurred  in  the 
suppression  of  negro  slavery. 

After  crossing  the  borders  of  Poland,  the  thought- 
ful stranger  cannot  divest  himself  of  an  earnest  even 
though  silent  sympathy  with  the  people  who  are  so 
thoroughly  disfranchised  in  a  political  sense  ;  and  yet 
truth  compels  us  to  say,  that  few  if  any  outward  signs 
of  oppression  met  the  eye.  We  must  confess  that  a 
decided  effort  to  discover  something  of  the  sort  proved 
quite  a  failure.  The  masses  of  the  people  are  cheer- 
ful and  talkative  in  the  extreme,  exhibiting  a  strong 
contrast  in  this  respect  to  those  of  Russia,  who  have  a 
chronic  expression  of  dreariness  and  inanity,  and  who, 
as  a  rule,  are  essentially  silent  and  sad.  With  their 
national  existence  annihilated,  so  to  speak,  we  had 
been  led  to  anticipate  discontent  and  grumbling  among 
the  Poles,  neither  of  which  we  encountered.  War- 
saw is  seemingly  as  thoughtless  over  these  matters 
and  as  gay  as  any  capital  in  Europe.  As  regards  the 
nationality  of  Poland,  her  fate  is  certainly  decided  for 
many  years  to  come,  if  indeed  it  be  not  settled  for  all 


ENTERING    WARSAW.  357 

time.  And  without  itrejudicc  or  any  false  sentiment, 
one  is  forced  to  think  perhaps  this  is  best  for  Poland. 
Dismembered  as  she  is,  every  new  generation  must 
amalgamate  her  more  and  more  completely  with  the 
three  powers  who  have  appropriated  her  territory  and 
divided  the  control  of  her  people  among  them.  We 
continue  to  speak  of  Poland  as  a  distinct  country, 
though  the  name  is  all  that  remains  of  its  ancient  in- 
dependence. The  map  of  Europe  has  long  since  been 
reconstructed  in  this  region,  —  Austria,  Germany, 
and  Russia  coolly  absorbing  the  six  millions  of  Poles, 
and  Warsaw  being  the  capital  of  Russian  Poland. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  the  second  day's  journey 
since  leaving  Moscovr  that  we  approached  Warsaw 
in  a  course  nearly  due  west,  witnessing  one  of  those 
fiery  sunsets  which  are  only  seen  in  their  intensity 
towards  the  close  of  summer  in  the  north.  The  gor- 
geous light  escorted  us  into  the  capital  across  the 
long  and  lofty  iron  bridge  which  stretches  from  the 
Praga  suburb  over  the  broad,  sandy  bed  of  the  Vis- 
tula. This  remarkable  bridge  is  one  thousand  nine 
hundred  feet  in  length,  and  was  designed  by  the  same 
architect  that  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
Nicholas  Bridge  at  St.  Petersburg.  The  curtain  of 
night  fell  in  sombre  folds  as  we  drove  through  the 
streets  of  the  old  city  amid  a  blaze  of  artificial  light, 
the  town  being  gayly  illumined  on  account  of  its  being 
the  birthday  of  Alexander  III.  It  was  observed  that 
this  ilhunination  was  in  some  respects  peculiar,  long 
rows  of  gas-jets,  extending  by  means  of  temporary 


358  DUE  NORTH. 

pipes  along  the  gutters  by  the  sidewalks,  supplement- 
ing the  blaze  in  the  windows  of  stores  and  dwelling- 
houses,  so  that  one  seemed  to  be  passing  between 
two  narrow  streams  of  liquid  fire.  It  is  a  long  drive 
from  the  railroad  station  to  the  Hotel  Victoria,  but 
when  it  is  once  reached,  the  traveller  finds  himself 
located  in  the  centre  of  Warsaw  and  in  very  comfor- 
table quarters. 

The  city  extends  about  six  miles  along  the  left  bank 
of  the  Vistula  and  upon  high  land.  The  river  —  which 
is  navigable,  though  at  the  time  of  our  visit  it  was 
very  low  —  extends  the  whole  length  of  Poland  from 
north  to  south,  its  source  being  in  the  Carpathians 
and  its  mouth  at  Dantzic.  The  city,  which  covers  a 
great  surface  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  its 
inhabitants,  is  enclosed  by  ramparts  pierced  by  ten 
gates,  and  is  defended  by  a  castle  of  modern  con- 
struction. The  fortification  is  well  kept  up  to  a  war- 
standard,  especially  in  the  department  of  modern 
artillery.  The  garrison  was  drilling  at  the  time  of 
our  visit  in  the  management  of  some  new  and  heavy 
guns.  Warsaw  has  nearly  half  a  million  of  inhabi- 
tants, one  tliird  of  whom  are  Jews,  who  monopolize 
the  main  branches  of  trade,  and  who  appear  in  an 
exaggerated  aspect  of  their  repulsive  peculiarities. 
There  is  but  one  synagogue  worthy  of  mention  be- 
longing to  this  people,  who  certainly  would  require 
more  were  they  composed  of  a  race  adhering  strictly 
to  their  religious  professions.  The  temple  referred 
to  is  an  extremely  plain,  unpretentious  one,  which  is 


A   BIRD'S-EYE    VIEW  OF   WARSAW.        359 

capable  of  accommodating  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred 
persons,  and  is  generally  visited  by  strangers  in  the 
city.  The  prevailing  religion  in  Poland  is  Roman 
Catholic,  and  doubtless  much  of  the  bitterness  of 
feeling  which  exists  between  this  people  and  the 
Russians  is  caused  by  religious  differences,  fomented 
by  the  Catholic  priests. 

On  arriving  in  a  new  city,  an  experienced  traveller 
will  instinctively  seek  some  suitable  point  from  which 
to  obtain  a  clear  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  entire 
locality,  which  will  thus  become  mapped  upon  the 
brain,  so  that  all  after  movements  are  prosecuted 
with  a  degree  of  intelligence  otherwise  impossible. 
Here  the  St.  Petersburg  railway  station  in  the  Praga 
district  affords  the  desired  view.  From  hence  a  vast 
panorama  spreads  out  before  the  eye  in  every  direc- 
tion. On  the  banks  of  the  Vistula  opposite  may  be 
seen  the  citadel,  the  older  portions  of  the  town,  with 
its  narrow  streets  and  lofty  houses,  the  castle  and  its 
beautiful  gardens,  as  well  as  the  newer  sections  of 
the  city,  including  the  public  promenades  and  groves 
about  the  royal  villa  of  Lazienki.  Viewed  from 
Praga  as  it  slopes  upward,  the  effect  of  the  city 
is  very  pleasing,  and  a  closer  examination  of  its 
churches,  former  palaces,  and  fine  public  buildings 
confirms  the  favorable  impression  of  its  architectural 
grandeur.  This  view  should  be  supplemented  by  one 
of  a  bird's-eye  character  to  be  obtained  from  the  cu- 
pola of  the  Lutheran  Church,  which  will  more  clearly 
reveal  the  several  large  squares  and  main  arteries, 


360  DUE  NORTH. 

bordered  by   graceful  lime-trees,  thus   completing   a 
kiio\dedge  of  its  topography. 

In  spite  of  its  misfortunes,  Warsaw  ranivs  to-day  as 
the  third  city  in  importance  as  well  as  in  population 
in  the  Russian  empire.     It  was  not  made  the  capital 
of  Poland  until  1566,  when  it  succeeded  to  Cracow. 
It  is  now  but  the  residence  of  a  viceroy  representing 
the  Emperor  of  Russia.     The  town  is  heavily  garri- 
soned  by  the  soldiers  of  the  Tzar  ;  indeed,  they  are 
seen  in  goodly  numbers  in  every  town  and  village  of 
any   importance,   and   are   represented   even   at  the 
small   railroad   stations   on   the   line   from  Moscow. 
War  and  devastation  have  deprived  the  city  of  many 
of  its   national    and   patriotic    monuments,    but    its 
squares  are  still  ornamented  with  numerous  admirable 
statues,  and  with  a  grand  array  of  fine  public  build- 
ings.    In  the  square  of  the  Royal  Castle  there  was 
observed  a  colossal  bronze  statue  of  Sigismund  III. ; 
in   another  quarter   a  bronze   statue   of   Copernicus 
was  found.     It  will  be  remembered  that  he  was  a 
Pole  by  birth  and  was  educated  at  Cracow,  his  name 
being   Latinized   from   Kopcrnik.     There   is   a   thir- 
teenth-century cathedral  close  by,  whose  pure  Gothic 
contrasts  strongly  with  the  Tartar  style  so  lately  left 
behind  in  middle  Russia.     This  old  church  was  very 
gray  and  crumbling,  very  dirty,  and  very  offensive  to 
the  sense  of  smell,  —  partly  accounted  for  by  obvious 
causes,  since  about  the  doors,  both  inside  and  out, 
swarmed    a    vile-smelling    horde     of     ragged     men, 
women,  and  children,  sad  and  pitiful  to  look  upon. 


WAUSA  W  ARCHITECTURE  AND  PEOPLE.     3G1 

The  square  close  at  hand  lias  more  than  once  been 
the  scene  of  popular  demonstrations  which  have  bap- 
tized it  in  the  life-blood  of  the  citizens.  The  finest 
public  buildings  and  elegant  residences  were  found 
strangely  mingled  with  wooden  hovels;  magnifi- 
cence and  squalor  are  located  side  by  side,  inexora- 
bly jumbled  together.  We  remember  no  other  city 
in  all  Europe  which  has  so  many  private  palaces  and 
patrician  mansions  as  may  be  seen  in  an  hour's  stroll 
about  Warsaw ;  but  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
architecture  is  often  gaudy  and  meretricious.  Here 
for  centuries  there  were  but  two  grades  of  society  ; 
namely,  the  nobles  and  the  peasants.  Intermediate 
class  there  was  none.  A  Polish  noble  was  by  law  a 
person  who  possessed  a  freehold  estate,  and  who 
could  i)rove  his  descent  from  ancestors  formerly  pos- 
sessing a  freehold,  who  followed  no  trade  or  com- 
merce, and  who  was  at  liberty  to  choose  his  own 
habitation.  Tliis  description,  therefore,  included  all 
persons  wbo  were  above  the  rank  of  burghers  or 
peasants.  Tlie  despised  Jews  were  never  considered 
in  the  social  scale  at  all,  and  were  looked  upon  by 
both  nobles  and  peasants  as  a  necessary  evil  contin- 
gent upon  trade.  They  were  not  even  subject  to 
military  service  until  the  Russians  assumed  power. 
Now  the  Jews  enter  in  large  numbers  into  the  service 
of  the  Tzar,  especially  as  musicians  forming  the  mili- 
tary bands.  Being  intelligent  and  to  a  certain  degree 
educated,  they  are  also  employed  in  places  where 
recruits  only  fit  for  service  in  the  lower  ranks  woula 


362  DUE  NORTH. 

not  be  trustccl,  and  wc  were  told  tliat  they  make  ex- 
cellent common  soldiers. 

Where  the  great  iron  bridge  which  spans  the  Vis- 
tula joins  the  shore  on  the  right  bank,  one  comes 
upon  the  barracks  of  the  Circassian  troops  who  form 
a  portion  of  the  local  garrison.  Here  we  chanced 
to  witness  some  of  their  peculiar  cavalry  drill,  where, 
among  other  manoeuvres,  the  exercise  of  dashing  to- 
wards an  object  placed  upon  the  ground  and  catch- 
ing it  up  on  the  point  of  the  sword  or  lance  while 
the  rider  is  at  full  speed,  was  practised.  These  sol- 
diers are  most  efficient  as  cavalry,  being  what  is 
termed  born  horsemen.  Russians,  Circassians,  and 
other  Eastern  troops  garrison  Warsaw,  while  Polish 
soldiers  are  sent  elsewhere  for  good  and  sufficient 
political  reasons.  The  support  of  the  entire  scheme 
of  power  in  Russia,  as  in  Germany  and  Austria,  turns 
upon  military  organization  and  efficiency ;  hence  this 
element  crops  out  everywhere,  and  its  ramifications 
permeate  all  classes  in  Warsaw,  as  at  St.  Petersburg 
or  Berlin. 

In  passing  through  Poland  the  country  presents  to 
the  eye  of  the  traveller  almost  one  unbroken  plain, 
admirably  adapted  to  agriculture,  so  much  so  that  it 
has  long  been  called  the  granary  of  Europe.  The 
Polish  peasants  arc  extremely  ignorant,  if  possible 
even  more  so  than  the  same  class  in  Russia  proper ; 
but  they  are  a  fine-looking  race,  strongly  built,  tall, 
active,  and  well-formed.  There  are  schools  in  the 
various  districts,  but  the  Polish  lano'uaffc  is  forbidden 


THE   JEWS    IN    POLAND.  363 

to  be  taught  ill  thciii ;  only  the  Russian  tongue  is 
permitted.  The  peasantry  have  pride  enough  to 
resist  this  in  the  only  way  which  is  open  to  them ; 
namely,  by  keeping  their  children  from  attending  the 
,  schools.  Therefore,  education  not  being  compulsory, 
as  it  is  in  Norway  and  Sweden,  little  benefit  is  derived 
from  the  common-school  system  as  here  sustained. 
With  a  view  utterly  to  abolish  the  Polish  language, 
it  is  even  made  a  penal  offence  to  use  it  in  commer- 
cial transactions. 

The  Polish  peasantry  as  a  whole  are  by  no  means 
a  prepossessing  race.  Naturally  dull,  they  are  still 
more  demoralized  and  degraded  by  an  unconquerable 
love  of  intoxicants,  the  dram  being  unfortunately  both 
cheap  and  potent.  In  every  village  and  settlement, 
no  matter  how  small,  there  are  always  Jews  who  are 
ready  and  eager  to  administer  to  this  base  appetite, 
and  to  rob  the  poor  ignorant  people  of  both  health 
and  money.  It  is  unpleasant  to  speak  harshly  of  the 
Jewish  race,  especially  as  we  know  personally  some 
highly  cultured,  responsible,  and  eminently  respecta- 
ble men  who  form  a  decided  exception  to  the  general 
rule ;  but  the  despised  and  wandering  children  of 
Israel,  wherever  we  have  met  them,  certainly  appear 
to  exercise  an  evil  influence  upon  the  people  among 
whom  they  dwell.  We  record  the  fact  with  some 
hesitation,  but  with  a  strong  sense  of  conviction.  Po- 
land appears  to  be  after  Palestine  a  sort  of  Land 
of  Promise  to  the  Jews  ;  but  they  are  certainly  here, 
if  nowhere  else,  a  terrible  scourge  upon  the  native 


364  DUE  NORTH. 

race.  Their  special  part  of  the  town  —  the  Jews' 
Quarter  —  is  a  mass  of  filth,  so  disgusting,  so  ill- 
smelling,  that  one  would  think  it  must  surely  breed 
all  sorts  of  contagious  diseases ;  but  here  they  live  on 
in  unwholesome  dens,  amid  undrained,  narrow  streets 
and  lanes,  often  in  almost  roofless  tenements.  Bayard 
Taylor  wrote  of  the  Polish  Jews :  "  A  more  vile  and 
filthy  race,  except  the  Chinese,  cannot  disgust  the 
traveller."  Here,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  the 
Hebrew  people  have  a  history  full  of  vicissitudes,  and 
are  composed  of  various  tribes,  Galician,  Moldavian, 
Hungarian,  and  native  Polish;  but  in  their  general 
characteristics  they  are  identical,  being  universally 
wedded  to  filth  and  greed.  While  they  are  strangely 
interesting  as  a  study  they  are  never  attractive, 
with  their  cringing,  servile  manners  and  dirty  gab- 
ardines, their  cadaverous  faces,  piercing  black  ej^es, 
their  hooked  noses  and  ringleted  locks.  Wherever 
met  they  are  keen-witted,  avaricious,  patient,  frugal, 
long-suffering.  The  race  is  now  banished  from  what 
is  known  as  Great  Russia,  and  so  far  as  Government 
is  concerned  is  barely  tolerated  in  Russian  Poland ; 
but  to  drive  them  hence  would  be  to  decimate  the 
country  in  population. 

The  present  political  condition  of  Poland  is  the 
more  impressive,  as  we  remember  that  she  was  a  great 
civil  power  when  Russia  was  little  better  than  semi- 
barbarous.  Now  neither  books  nor  papers  are  per- 
mitted to  be  published  in  the  native  tongue,  and  all 
volumes  printed   in  the   Polish  language  are  confis- 


STREETS,  PARKS,  AND    OARDEXS.  3Go 

cated  wherever  found,  even  in  private  libraries.  The 
])ublic  library  of  Warsaw,  wliieli  et)ntaiiied  some  hun- 
dred and  sixty  thousand  bound  volumes,  was  conveyed 
to  St.  Petersburg  long  ago,  and  Polish  literature  may 
virtually  be  said  to  be  suppressed.  While  becoming 
conversant  with  these  facts,  it  was  natural  as  an 
American  that  we  should  speak  plainly  of  the  out- 
rageous character  of  such  arbitrary  rule.  The  intel- 
ligent and  courteous  Russian  with  whom  we  Avere 
conversing  could  not  see  why  it  was  any  worse  for 
his  Government  to  claim  possession  and  direction  of 
Poland  than  it  was  for  England  to  do  the  same  in 
the  instance  of  Ireland.  This  was  a  style  of  argu- 
ing which  it  was  not  very  easy  to  meet.  "  It  became 
a  political  necessity  for  us  to  take  our  portion  of 
Poland  and  to  govern  it,"  said  the  gentleman  to 
whom  we  refer, "  but  she  is  far  more  of  a  burden  than 
an  advantage  to  Russia.  Only  the  common  people 
of  this  country  —  the  masses  —  have  been  really  bene- 
fited by  the  present  state  of  affairs." 

The  "  Avenues "  is  the  popular  drive  and  prome- 
nade of  the  citizens  of  Warsaw,  bordered  by  long 
lines  of  trees  and  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  elegant 
private  residences.  Here  also  ai-e  located  inviting 
public  gardens  where  popular  entertainments  are 
presented,  and  where  caf^s  dispense  ices,  favorite 
drinks,  and  refreshments  of  all  sorts.  The  well- 
arranged  Botanical  Gardens  are  not  far  away,  afford- 
ing a  very  pleasing  resort  for  all  lovers  of  floral 
beauty.    Just  beyond  these  gardens  comes  the  Lazienki 


366  DUE  NORTH. 

Park,  containing  the  suburban  palace  built  by  King 
Stanislaus  Poniatowski  in  the  middle  of  the  last 
century,  and  which  is  now  the  temporary  residence 
of  the  Emperor  of  Russia  when  he  visits  Warsaw. 
The  grounds  occupied  by  the  Park  are  very  spacious, 
affording  great  seclusion  and  deep  shady  drives ;  for 
though  it  so  closely  adjoins  the  city,  it  has  the  effect 
of  a  wild  forest  composed  of  ancient  trees.  The  royal 
villa  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  stately  grove,  surrounded 
by  graceful  fountains,  tiny  lakes, and  delightful  flower 
gardens.  There  is  a  fine  array  in  summer  of  tropical 
plants  in  tubs  and  many  groups  of  marble  statuary, 
more  remarkable  for  extravagance  of  design  than  for 
artistic  excellence,  if  we  except  the  statue  of  King 
John  Sobieski.  Adjoining  the  Park  is  that  of  the  Bel- 
videre  Palace,  formerly  the  residence  of  the  Grand 
Duke  Constantino  ;  but  the  place  is  now  quite  deserted, 
though  everything  is  kept  in  exquisite  order. 

Most  of  the  city  houses  are  built  of  brick  or  stone, 
the  former  being  stuccoed  so  as  to  give  the  general 
effect  of  the  latter.  The  churches  are  numerous 
and  fine.  It  may  be  said,  indeed,  that  the  public 
buildings  throughout  the  city  are  on  a  grand  scale. 
The  two  principal  streets  are  Honey  Street  and  that 
of  the  New  World,  so  called.  There  are  a  plenty  of 
hotels,  but  mostly  of  a  very  inferior  character,  several 
being  kept  in  what  were  once  palaces,  generally  by 
Germans  or  some  other  foreigners,  never  by  Poles. 
The  people  whom  one  meets  upon  the  streets  seem 
to   be   more  Asiatic   in   their  features   and   general 


THE   5.1A'0.Vr   HARDENS   IX  WARSAW.      3G7 

aspect  than  the  residents  of  St.  Petersburg,  show- 
ing clearly  their  Tartar  descent ;  but  in  manners, 
customs,  and  dress  they  are  much  more  European 
than  the  Russians. 

There  arc  several  large  open  squares  in  Warsaw 
where  provision  markets  are  held  daily  by  the  country 
people,  but  especially  in  the  early  morning  and  fore- 
noon. The  principal  one  is  located  near  the  Saxony 
Gardens,  the  trade  of  which  is  entirely  conducted  by 
women  ;  and  so  varied  is  the  business  here  that  it  par- 
takes of  the  character  of  a  public  fair  rather  than 
that  of  a  provision  market.  Vegetables,  flowers,  fruit, 
fish,  poultry,  tools,  clothing,  toys,  domestic  utensils, 
boots,  shoes,  and  articles  of  female  attire,  all  enter 
into  the  objects  collected  and  offered  for  sale.  The 
women  are  mostly  of  Jewish  extraction,  a  large 
number  of  the  middle-aged  wearing  wigs,  under 
which  their  natural  hair  was  cut  short.  On  inquiry 
it  was  found  that  this  is  an  old  Jewish  custom  with 
women  of  that  race  in  Poland,  —  that  is,  as  soon  as 
they  ai-c  married  to  shave  their  heads  and  wear  false 
liair,  a  practice  which  we  have  never  observed  else- 
where, and  which  is  not  followed  here  by  the  more 
pretentious  families  of  the  Hebrew  population.  The 
market  square  adjoining  the  Saxony  Gardens  affords 
a  highly  picturesque  sight,  where  the  mingling  of 
colors,  races,  and  costumes  is  curious  to  study.  In 
the  gardens  we  have  one  of  the  most  attractive  and 
oldest  city  parks  in  Europe,  where  the  trees  are  very 
large  and  of  great  variety,  while  the  flowers  which 


368  DUE  NORTH. 

adorn  the  grounds  on  all  sides,  mingled  with  artificial 
ponds  and  fountains,  delight  the  eye  and  regale  the 
senses.  We  have  all  heard  of  the  Saxony  Gardens  of 
Warsaw,  but  we  have  never  heard  them  overpraised. 
A  military  band  performs  here  night  and  morning 
during  the  summer  season,  while  mineral  waters  —  a 
specialty  here  —  are  freely  drunk  by  the  promenaders, 
recalling  familiar  scenes  at  Saratoga. 

The  city  to  the  practical  eye  of  an  American  seemed 
to  be  commercially  in  a  state  of  more  rapid  growth 
and  prosperity  than  any  capital  which  has  been 
treated  of  in  these  pages.  In  matters  of  current 
business  and  industrial  affairs  it  appeared  far  in 
advance  of  St.  Petersburg.  The  large  number  of 
distilleries  and  breweries  was  unpleasantly  sugges- 
tive of  the  intemperate  habits  of  the  people.  The 
political  division  of  Poland  which  we  have  incident- 
ally spoken  of  was  undoubtedly  a  great  outrage  on 
the  part  of  the  three  powers  who  confiscated  her  ter- 
ritory, but  the  author  is  satisfied,  while  writing  here 
upon  the  spot,  and  after  careful  consideration,  that 
this  radical  change  was  a  good  thing  for  the  people 
at  large.  With  what  has  seemed  to  Ije  the  bitter  for- 
tune of  Poland  we  have  all  of  us  in  America  been 
taught  from  childhood  to  sympathize  to  such  an 
extent  that  romance  and  sentiment  have  in  a  degree 
prevailed  over  fact,  blinding  cooler  judgment.  There 
are  those  who  see  in  the  fate  of  Poland  that  retri- 
butive justice  which  Heaven  accords  to  nations  as 
well  as  to  individuals.     In  past  ages  she  has  been  a 


FORMER    CONDITION   OF   POLAND.  369 

eounlry  always  savagely  aggressive  upon  her  neigh- 
bors, and  it  was  not  until  she  was  sadly  torn  and 
weakened  by  internal  dissensions  that  Catherine  11. 
first  invaded  her  territory.  Nine  tenths  of  the  popu- 
lation were  no  better  than  slaves.  They  were  in 
much  the  same  condition  as  the  serfs  of  Russia 
before  the  late  emancipation  took  place.  They  were 
acknowledged  retainers,  owing  their  service  to  and 
holding  their  farms  at  the  option  of  the  upper  class; 
namely,  the  so-called  nobility  of  the  country.  This 
overmastering  class  prided  itself  upon  neither  pro- 
moting nor  being  engaged  in  any  kind  of  business  ; 
indeed,  this  uselessncss  was  one  of  the  conditions 
attached  to  its  patent  of  nobility.  These  autocratic 
rulers  knew  no  other  interest  or  occupation  than  that 
of  the  sword.  War  and  devastation  constituted  their 
profession,  while  the  common  people  for  ages  reaped 
the  fruit  of  famine  and  slaughter.  Even  in  what  were 
called  days  of  peace,  the  court  and  the  nobles  spent 
their  time  in  vile  intrigues  and  bloody  quarrels. 
However  hard  these  reflections  may  seem,  they  are 
fully  sustained  by  the  history  of  the  country,  and  are 
frankly  admitted  to  be  true  by  intelligent  natives  of 
Warsaw  to-day. 

There  is  no  denying  the  fact,  leaving  the  question  of 
right  and  justice  quite  out  of  the  discussion,  that  the 
breaking  up  of  Poland  politically  has  brought  about 
a  degree  of  peace,  wealth,  prosperity,  and  comparative 
liberty  such  as  the  masses  of  the  people  of  this  so 
long  distracted  land  have  not  known  for  centuries 
24 


370  DUE  NORTH. 

That  there  is  shameful  despotism  exercised  by  the 
ruling  powers  all  must  admit ;  but  there  is  also  peace, 
individual  liberty,  and  great  commercial  prosperity.  In 
the  days  which  are  popularly  denominated  those  of 
Polish  independence,  the  nobility  were  always  divided 
into  bitter  factions.  Revolutions  were  as  frequent  as 
they  are  in  Spain,  Mexico,  or  South  America  to-day, 
the  strongest  party  for  the  time  being  disposing  of 
the  crown  and  ruling  the  country  amid  tumult  and 
bloodshed. 

"  The  class  who  so  long  misruled  Poland  are  now 
powerless,"  said  a  native  resident  of  Warsaw  to  us. 
"The  sacrifice  of  our  political  nationality  has  been 
indeed  a  bitter  experience ;  but  it  has  at  least  given 
the  country  a  breathing  spell,  and  the  rank  and  file 
of  the  people  a  chance  to  recuperate  their  fallen  for- 
tunes. We  had  become  impoverished  by  internal 
dissensions  and  endless  conflicts  abroad ;  now  we 
enjoy  peace  and  material  prosperity.  If  the  matter 
depended  upon  a  popular  vote  as  exercised  in  Amer- 
ica," he  added,  '•  there  would  be  found  only  a  design- 
ing few  who  would  vote  for  a  restoration  of  the  old 
rdgime."  The  gentleman  whom  we  have  quoted  be- 
longed to  the  mercantile  class,  and  was  native  born ; 
therefore  we  think  his  words  may  be  taken  as 
reflecting  the  average  sentiment  of  the  citizens  of 
Warsaw. 

Let  us  not  forget  in  these  closing  pages  to  speak  of 
the  Polish  ladies.  They  are  almost  universally  hand- 
some, with  large  expressive  eyes,  dark  and  deep  as 


BEAUTY   OF    THE   POLISH   LADIES.         371 

the  Norwegian  fjords,  lighting  up  faces  full  of  tender- 
ness and  sympathy.  They  are  generally  more  acconi' 
plished  in  what  is  considered  womanly  culture  among 
the  better  classes  than  are  the  ladies  of  Southern 
Europe,  being  almost  universally  good  musicians  and 
fine  vocalists,  as  well  as  possessing  a  natural  gift  of 
languages.  In  secret  these  daughters  of  Poland  are 
extremely  patriotic,  though  the  public  expression  of 
such  sentiments  is  hardly  admissible  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. It  is  not  surprising  that  they  should 
regret  the  loss  of  a  condition  of  society  which  made 
them  all  princesses,  so  to  speak.  The  representa- 
tives of  this  class  are  little  seen  in  public,  very  many 
having  removed  to  Paris,  where  they  constitute  a 
large  and  permanent  colony.  When  encountered 
here,  they  are  vehemently  earnest  as  to  patriot- 
ism, and  ready  to  encourage  any  extravagant  mea- 
sure looking  towards  a  possible  restitution  of  Polish 
nationality. 

A  fellow  traveller  between  Warsaw  and  Vienna,  in 
responding  to  a  casual  remark  touching  the  extra- 
ordinary beauty  of  the  Polish  ladies,  —  "  ladies  whose 
bright  eyes  rain  influence,"  —  told  the  author  of  a  gal- 
lant friend's  experience  with  the  gentler  sex  of  sev- 
eral nationalities.  It  seems  that  the  person  referred 
to  lost  his  heart  in  Germany,  his  soul  in  France,  his 
understanding  in  Italy,  and  was  made  bankrupt  of  his 
senses  in  Poland.  When  his  affections  Avcre  thus  re- 
duced to  a  complete  wreck,  the  gentleman  settled 
down  to  matrimonial  felicity  in  Russia !     Some  of  the 


372  DUE  NORTH. 

Jewish  women  of  Warsaw,  of  the  wealthier  class,  are 
extremely  handsome,  so  marked  in  this  respect  that 
it  was  a  pleasure  to  look  at  them.  Many  of  the  race 
are  blondes  of  the  most  decided  stamp.  Unlike  Pari- 
sian, London,  or  Vienna  beauties,  their  charms  are  all 
quite  natural.  They  require  no  rouge  to  heighten  the 
color  of  their  glowing  complexions,  no  shading  of  the 
eyes,  no  dyeing  of  the  hair,  no  falsifying  of  the  figure, 
no  padding.  These  Jewesses  are  beholden  to  Nature 
alone  for  their  charms  of  person. 

The  Polish  language  as  spoken  by  the  people  of 
Warsaw  is  indeed  a  puzzle  to  a  stranger,  being  a  sort 
of  Slavic-Indo-European  tongue.  When  Poland  en- 
joyed a  distinctive  nationality,  no  less  than  six  differ- 
ent dialects  were  spoken  in  the  several  provinces  of 
the  kingdom.  There  is  so  much  similarity,  however, 
between  the  Polish  language  proper  and  the  Russian 
tongue  that  the  people  of  the  two  nationalities  easily 
understand  each  other,  and  on  the  borders  there  is  a 
singular  conglomerate  .of  the  two  tongues  spoken  by 
the  peasantry.  Until  towards  the  close  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  the  Polish  historians  wrote  almost 
exclusively  in  the  Latin  language,  and  her  poets 
also  expressed  themselves  in  that  classic  medium; 
hence  the  paucity  of  Polish  literature.  As  already 
intimated,  the  German  and  Russian  languages  are 
spreading  over  the  country,  and  will  eventually  ob- 
literate the  native  tongue  without  the  enforcement 
of  arbitrary  measures  on  the  part  of  the  dominant 
powers. 


FUTURE    OF    WARSAW.  373 

Commorcially,  Warsaw  seems  destined  to  a  steady 
growth  and  prosperity ;  but  in  the  higher  paths  of 
civilization  as  evinced  by  mental  culture,  the  growth 
and  dissemination  of  scientific  knowledge,  and  the 
general  education  of  the  masses,  it  is  and  must 
remain  for  a  long  time  to  come  far  behind  the 
much  more  invitiug  and  interesting  capitals  of 
Scandinavia. 


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